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An  Unrequited  Love 


A SEQUEL  TO  FOR  WOMAN’S  LOVE 


By  MRS.  E.  D.  E.  N.  SOUTHWORTH 

Author  of 

Em’s  Husband,^’  Gloria,”  David  Lindsay,*^ 
♦*The  Bride’s  Ordeal,”  Etc. 


A.  L.  BURT  COMPANY 


PUBLISHERS 


• • 


NEW  YORK 


Popular  Books 

By  MRS.  E.  D.  E.  N.  SOUTHWORTH 

In  Handsome  Cloth  Binding 

Price  - - 60  Cents  per  Volume 


CAPITOLA’S  PERIL 
CRUEL  AS  THE  GRAVE 
“EM’* 

EM’S  HUSBAND 
FOR  WHOSE  SAKE 
ISHMAEL 
LILITH 

THE  BRIDE’S  FATE 
THE  CHANGED  BRIDES 
THE  HIDDEN  HAND 
THE  UNLOVED  WIFE 
TRIED  FOR  HER  LIFE 
SELF-RAISED 
WHY  DID  HE  WED  HER? 
GLORIA 

DAVID  LINDSAY 
THE  BRIDE’S  ORDEAL 
HER  LOVE  OR  HER  LIFE 
NEAREST  AND  DEAREST 
LITTLE  NEA’S  ENGAGEMENT 
THE  LOST  LADY  OF  LONE 
THE  STRUGGLE  OF  A SOUL 
THE  TRAIL  OF  THE  SERPENT 
A TORTURED  HEART 
THE  TEST  OF  LOVE 
A SKELETON  IN  THE  CLOSET 
BRANDON  COYLE’S  WIFE 
FOR  WOMAN’S  LOVE 
AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


For  Sale  by  all  Booksellers 
or  will  be  sent  postpaid  on  receipt  of  price 

A.  h,  BURT  COMPANY,  PUBLISHERS 
52  Duane  Street  -----  New  York 


Copyright,  1883 

By  ROBERT  BONNER 


Copyright,  1890 

By  ROBERT  BONNER’S  SONS 


An  Unrequited  Rove 


Printed  by  special  arrangement  with 

STREET  & SMITH 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


CHAPTER  I 


MAD  MARRIAGE^  MY  MASTERS’^ 


Eose  Stillwater  had  had  a trying  day,  followed  by 
a night  of  wild  dreams,  and  when  she  made  her  appear- 
ance at  the  breakfast  table  of  old  Aaron  Eockharrt,  the 
Iron  King,  there  were  heavy  lines  about  her  eyes  and 
her  lovely  cheeks  had  not  yet  recovered  their  accustomed 
bloom. 

Young  Sylvanus  Haught,  fresh  from  West  Point, 
burst  upon  the  quiet  breakfast  party,  bowed  to  his  grand- 
father and  Eose  Stillwater  and  seized  his  married  sister, 
Cora  Eothsay,  around  the  neck  and  covered  her  with 
kisses,  all  in  a minute  and  before  he  spoke  a word. 

^Well,  sir!  You  have  got  through,’’  said  the  Iron 
King,  with  dignified  gravity. 

^^Yes,  sir,  got  through  ^by  the  skin  of  my  teeth,’  as  I 
might  say ! And  got  leave  of  absence,  waiting  my  com- 
mission. Hurrah,  Cora ! Hurrah,  the  Eose  that  all  ad- 
mire ! I shall  be  your  cavalier  for  the  next  three  months 
at  least,  and  until  they  send  me  out  to  Port  Devil’s  Icy 

3 


4 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


Peak,  to  be  killed  and  scalped  by  the  redskins!”  ex- 
claimed tbe  new-fledged  soldier,  throwing  up  his  cap. 

Soon  Sylvanus  was  seated  at  the  table,  sharing  the 
morning  meal  of  his  family. 

“Now  that  my  brother  has  joined  us  shall  we  leave  for 
North  End  to-day,  grandfather  V’  inquired  Cora,  as  they 
all  arose  from  breakfast. 

“No ; nor  need  you  make  any  suggestions  of  the  sort. 
When  I am  ready  to  go  home,  I will  tell  you.  I have 
business  to  transact  before  I leave  New  York,”  grufily 
replied  the  family  bear. 

Rose  Stillwater  took  up  one  of  the  morning  papers 
and  ran  her  eyes  down  column  after  column,  over  page 
after  page.  Presently  she  came  to  the  item  she  was  so 
anxiously  looking  for: 

“The  Very  Reverend  the  Dean  of  Olivet  left  the  city 
last  evening  by  the  steamer  Nighthawk  for  Boston.” 

With  a sigh  of  relief  she  laid  the  paper  down. 

Mr.  Rockharrt  came  and  sat  down  beside  her  on  the 
sofa,  and  began  to  speak  to  her  in  a low  voice. 

Sylvan,  sitting  by  Cora  at  the  other  end  of  the  apart- 
ment, began  to  tell  all  about  the  exercises  at  West  Point 
which  she  had  missed.  His  voice,  though  not  loud,  was 
clear  and  lively,  and  quite  drowned  the  sound  of  Mr. 
Rockharrt  and  Mrs.  Stillwater’s  words,  which  Cora 
could  see  were  earnest  and  important.  At  last  Rose  got 
up  in  some  agitation  and  hurried  out  of  the  room.  Then 
old  Aaron  Rockharrt  came  up  to  the  young  people  and 
stood  before  them.  There  was  something  so  ominous 


5 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

in  his  attitude  and  expression  that  his  two  grandchil- 
dren looked  dismayed  even  before  he  spoke. 

^^Sir  and  madam/’  he  said,  addressing  the  young 
creatures  as  if  they  were  dignitaries  of  the  church  or 
state,  have  to  inform  you  that  I am  about  to  marry 
Mrs.  Stillwater.  The  ceremony  will  be  performed  at 
the  church  to-morrow  noon.  I shall  expect  you  both  to 
attend  us  there  as  witnesses.” 

Saying  which  the  Iron  King  arose  and  strode  out  of 
the  room.  ' 

The  sister  and  brother  lifted  their  eyes,  and  might 
have  stared  each  other  out  of  countenance  in  their  silent, 
unutterable  consternation. 

Sylvan  was  the  first  to  find  his  voice. 

^^Cora ! It  is  an  outrage ! It  is  worse ! It  is  an  in- 
famy!” he  exclaimed,  as  the  blood  rushed  to  his  face 
and  crimsoned  it. 

Cora  said  never  a word^  but  burst  into  tears  and 
sobbed  aloud. 

^^Cora!  don’t  cry!  You  have  me  now!  Oh,  the  old 
man  is  certainly  mad  and  ought  to  be  looked  after.  Cora, 
darling,  don’t  take  it  so  to  heart ! At  his  age,  too ; sev- 
enty-seven! He’ll  make  himself  the  laughing  stock  of 
the  world ! Oh,  Cora,  don’t  grieve  so ! It  does  not  mat- 
ter after  all ! Such  a disgrace  to  the  family ! Oh,  come 
now,  you  know,  Cora ! this  is  not  the  way  to  welcome  a 

fellow  home!  For  any  old  man  to  make  such  a 

Oh,  I say,  Cora ! come  out  of  that  now ! If  you  don’t,  I 
swear  I will  take  my  hat  and  go  out  to  get  a drink !” 


6 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


“Oh,  don’t ! don’t !”  gasped  his  sister ; “don’t  you 
lend  a hand  to  breaking  my  heart.” 

“Well,  I won’t,  darling,  if  you’ll  only  come  out  of 
that!  It  is  not  worth  so  much  grief.” 

“I  will — stop — as  soon  as — I can  I”  sobbed  the  young 
woman,  “but  when  I think — of  his  reverent  gray  hairs 
— brought  to  such  dishonor — ^by  a mere  adventuress — 
and  we — so  powerless — to  prevent  it,  I feel  as  if — I 
should  die.” 

' “Oh,  nonsense;  you  look  at  it  too  gravely.  Besides, 
old  men  have  married  beautiful  young  women  before 
now!”  said  Sylvan,  troubled  by  his  sister’s  grief,  and 
tacking  around  in  his  opinions  as  deftly  as  ever  did  any 
other  politician. 

“Yes,  and  got  themselves  laughed  at  and  ridiculed  for 
their  folly !”  sighed  Cora,  who  had  ceased  to  sob. 

“Behind  their  backs,  and  that  did  not  hurt  them  one 
bit.” 

“Oh,  if  Uncle  Fabian  were  only  here !” 

“Why,  what  could  he  do  to  prevent  the  marriage  ?” 

“I  do  not  know.  But  I know  this,  that  if  any  man 
could  prevent  this  degradation,  he  would  be  Uncle  Fa- 
bian ! It  would  be  no  use,  I fear,  to  telegraph  to  Clar- 
ence !” 

“Clarence !”  said  Sylvanus  with  a laugh.  “Why  he  has 
no  more  influence  with  the  Iron  King  than  I have.  His 
father  calls  him  an  idiot  and  he  certainly  is  weakly 
amiable.  He  would  back  his  father  in  anything  the  old 
man  had  set  his  heart  upon.  But,  Cora,  listen  here,  my 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


T 


dear!  You  and  I are  free  at  present.  We  need  not 
countenance  this  marriage  by  our  presence.  I,  your 
brother,  can  take  you  to  another  hotel,  or  take  you  off 
to  Saratoga,  where  we  can  stay  until  I get  my  orders, 
and  then  you  can  go  with  me  wherever  I go.  There! 
the  Devil’s  Icy  Peak  itself  will  be  a holier  home  than 
Eockhold  for  you.” 

Cora  had  become  quite  calm  by  this  time,  and  she  an- 
swered quietly : 

^^No ; you  misapprehend  me.  Sylvan.  It  was  not  from 
indignation  or  resentment  that  I cried,  and  not  at  all  for 
myself.  I grieved  for  him,  the  spellbound  old  man! 
No,  Sylvanus;  since  we  feel  assured  that  no  power  of 
ours,  no  power  on  earth,  can  turn  him  from  his  pur- 
pose, we  must  do  our  duty  by  him.  We  must  refrain 
from  giving  him  pain  or  making  him  angry ; for  his  own 
poor  old  sake,  we  must  do  this ! Sylvan,  I must  attend 
his  bride  to  the  altar ; and  you  must  attend  him — as  he 
desired  us  to  do.” 

^Desired’ ! by  J ove,  I think  he  commanded ! I do 
not  remember  ever  to  have  heard  his  Majesty  the  King 
of  the  Cumberland  Mines  request  anybody  to  do  any- 
thing in  the  whole  course  of  his  life.  He  always  or- 
dered him  to  do  it!  Well,  Cora  dear,  I will  be  ^besP 
man  to  the  bridegroom  since  you  say  so!  I have  al- 
ways obeyed  you,  Cora.  Ah ! you  have  trained  me  for 
the  model  of  an  obedient  husband  for  some  girl,  Cora ! 
Now,  I am  going  downstairs  to  smoke  a cigar.  You 


8 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


don’t  object  to  that,  I hope,  Mrs.  Rothsay  ?”  lightly  in- 
quired the  youth  as  he  sauntered  out  of  the  room. 

He  had  just  closed  the  door  when  Mrs.  Stillwater  en- 
tered. 

She  came  in  very  softly,  crossed  the  room,  sat  down 
on  the  sofa  beside  Cora,  and  slipped  her  arm  around  the 
lady’s  waist,  purring  and  cooing: 

“I  have  been  waiting  to  find  you  alone,  dearest.  I 
just  heard  your  brother  go  downstairs.  Mr.  Rockha'vrt 
has  told  you,  dear?” 

“Yes;  he  has  told  me.  Take  your  arms  away  from 
me,  if  you  please,  Mrs.  Stillwater,  and  pray  do  not 
touch  me  again,”  quietly  replied  the  young  lady,  gently 
withdrawing  herself  from  the  siren’s  close  embrace. 

“You  are  displeased  with  me.  Can  you  not  forgive 
me,  then?”  pleaded  Rose,  withdrawing  her  arms,  but 
fixing  her  soft  blue  eyes  pleadingly  upon  the  lady’s  face. 

“You  have  given  me  no  personal  offense,  Mrs.  Still- 
water.” 

‘^Cora,  dear ” began  Rose. 

“Mrs.  Rothsay,  if  you  please,”  said  Cora,  -in  a quiet 
tone. 

“Mrs.  Rothsay,  then,”  amended  Rose,  in  a calm  voice, 
as  if  determined  not  to  take  offense.  “Mrs.  Rothsay, 
allow  me  to  explain  how  all  this  came  to  pass.  I have 
always,  from  the  time  I first  lived  in  his  house,  felt  a 
profound  respect  and  affection  for  your  grand- 
father  ” 

“Mr.  Roekharrt,  if  you  please,”  said  Cora. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  9 

^Tor  Mr.  Eockharrt,  then,  as  well  as  for  his  sainted 
wife,  the  late  Mrs.  Rockharrt.  I ’’ 

^^Madam interrupted  Cora,  ^^is  there  nothing  too 
holy  to  be  profaned  by  your  lips  ? You  should  at  least 
have  the  good  taste  to  leave  that  lady’s  sacred  memory 
alone.” 

^^Certainly,  if  you  wish ; but  she  was  a good  friend  to 
me,  and  I served  her  with  a daughter’s  love  and  devo- 
tion. In  my  last  visit  to  Rockhold  I also  served  Mr. 
Rockharrt  more  zealously  than  ever,  because,  indeed,  he 
needed  such  affectionate  service  more  than  before.  He 
has  grown  so  much  accustomed  to  my  services  that  they 
now  seem  vitally  necessary  to  him.  But,  of  course,  I 
cannot  take  care  of  him  day  and  night,  in  parlor  and 
chamber,  unless  I become  his  wife — ^the  Abisheg  of  his 
age.’  And  so,  Cora,  dear — I beg  pardon — Mrs.  Eoth- 
say,  I have  yielded  to  his  pleadings  and  consented  to 
marry  him.” 

^^Mr.  Rockharrt  has  already  told  me  so,”  coldly  re- 
plied Cora. 

^^And,  dear,  I wish  to  add  this — ^that  the  marriage 
need  make  no  difference  in  our  domestic  relations  at 
Rockhold.” 

do  not  understand  you.” 
mean  in  the  family  circle.” 

^^Oh!  thank  you,”  said  Cora,  with  the  nearest  ap- 
proach to  a sneer  that  ever  she  made.  have  heard 
all  you  have  to  say,  Mrs.  Stillwater,  and  now  I have  to 
reply — First,  that  I give  you  no  credit  for  any  respect 


10 


^ AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

or  aifection  that  yon  may  profess  for  Mr.  Rockharrt,  or 
for  disinterested  motives  in  marrying  the  aged  million- 
aire.^^ 

‘Uh,  Cora — Mrs.  Eothsay!’’ 

will  say  no  more  on  that  point.  Mr.  Rockharrt  is 
old  and  worn  with  many  business  cares.  I would  not 
willingly  pain  or  anger  him.  Therefore,  because  he 
wills  it,  for  his  sake,  not  for  yours,  I will  attend  you  to 
the  altar.  Also,  if  he  should  desire  me  to  do  so,  I shall 
remain  at  Eockhold  until  the  return  of  Mr.  Fabian 
Eockharrt.^^ 

At  the  sound  of  this  name  Eose  Stillwater  winced 
and  shivered. 

^^Then,  knowing  that  his  favorite  son  will  be  near 
him,  I shall  leave  him  with  the  freer  heart  and  go  away 
with  my  brother,  whithersoever  he  may  be  sent.  Mr.  Fa- 
bian is  expected  to  return  within  a few  weeks,  and  will 
probably  be  here  long  before  my  brother  receives  his 
orders.  Now,  Mrs.  Stillwater,  I think  all  has  been  said 
between  us,  and  you  will  please  excuse  my  leaving 
you,^’  said  Cora,  as  she  arose  and  withdrew  from  the 
room. 

Then  Eose  Stillwater  lost  her  self-command.  Her 
blue  eyes  blazed,  she  set  her  teeth,  she  doubled  her  fist, 
and  shaking  it  after  the  vanished  form  of  the  lady,  she 
hissed : 

^^Very  well,  proud  madam ! 1^11  pay  you  for  all  this. 
You  shall  never  touch  one  cent  of  old  Aaron  Rock- 
harrt^s  millions 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


11 


Having  launched  this  threat,  she  got  up  and  went  to 
her  room.  Ten  minutes  later  she  drove  out  in  a car- 
riage alone.  She  did  not  return  to  luncheon.  Neither 
did  Mr.  Eockharrt,  who  had  gone  down  to  Wall  Street. 
Sylvan  and  Cora  lunched  alone,  and  spent  the  afternoon 
together  in  the  parlor,  for  they  had  much  to  say  to  each 
other  after  their  long  separation,  and  much  also  to  say 
of  the  impending  marriage.  During  that  afternoon  many 
packages  and  bandboxes  came  by  vans,  directed  to  Mrs. 
Rose  Stillwater.  These  were  sent  to  her  apartment. 
At  dusk  Mrs.  Stillwater  returned  and  went  directly  to 
her  room.  She  probably  did  not  care  to  face  the  brother 
and  sister  together,  unsupported  by  their  grandfather. 
A few  minutes  later  Mr.  Eockharrt  came  in,  looking 
moody  and  defiant,  as  if  quite  conscious  of  the  absurd- 
ity of  his  position,  or  ready  to  crush  any  one  who  be- 
trayed the  slightest  sense  of  humor.  Then  dinner  was 
served,  and  Eose  Stillwater  came  out  of  her  room  and 
entered  the  parlor — a vision  of  loveliness — her  widow^s 
weeds  all  gone,  her  dress  a violet  brocaded  satin,  with 
fine  lace  berthe  and  sleeve  trimmings,  white  throat  and 
white  arms  encircled  with  a pearl  necklace  and  brace- 
lets ; golden  red  hair  dressed  high  and  adorned  with  a 
pearl  comb.  She  came  in  smiling  and  took  her  place  at 
the  table. 

Old  Aaron  Eockharrt  looked  up  at  her  in  surprise 
and  not  altogether  with  pleasure.  Eose  Stillwater,  see- 
ing his  expression  of  countenance,  got  a new  insight  into 
the  mind  of  the  old  man  whom  she  had  thought  she 


12 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


knew  so  well.  During  dinner,  to  cover  the  embarrass- 
ment which  covered  each  member  of  the  small  party, 
Sylvan  began  to  talk  of  the  cadets’  ball  at  West  Point 
on  the  preceding  evening;  the  distinguished  men  who 
were  present,  the  pretty  girls  with  whom  he  had  danced, 
the  best  waltzers,  and  so  forth,  and  then  the  mischiev- 
ous scamp  added: 

“But  there  wasn’t  a brunette  present  as  handsome  as 
my  sister  Cora,  nor  a blonde  as  beautiful  as  my  own 
grandmamma-elect.” 

When  they  all  left  the  table,  Mrs.  Stillwater  went  to 
her  room,  and  Mr.  Roekharrt  took  occasion  to  say: 

“I  wish  you  both  to  understand  the  program  for  to- 
morrow. There  is  to  be  no  fuss,  no  wedding  breakfast, 
no  nonsense  whatever.” 

Sylvan  thought  to  himself  that  the  marriage  alone 
was  nonsense  enough  to  stand  by  itself,  like  a velvet 
dress,  which  is  spoiled  by  additions;  but  he  said  noth- 
ing. Mr.  Roekharrt,  standing  on  the  rug  with  his  back 
to  the  mantelpiece  and  his  hands  clasped  behind  him, 
continued : 

“Sylvan,  you  will  wear  a morning  suit;  Cora,  you 
will  wear  a visiting  costume,  just  what  you  would  wear 
to  an  ordinary  church  service.  Rose  will  be  married  in 
her  traveling  dress.  Immediately  after  the  ceremony 
we,  myself  and  wife,  shall  enter  a carriage  and  drive  to 
the  railway  depot  and  take  the  train  for  Niagara.  You 
two  can  return  here  or  go  to  Rockhold  or  wherever  you 
will.  We  shall  make  a short  tour  of  the  Falls,  lakes. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


13 


St.  Lawrence  River,  and  so  on,  and  probably  return  to 
Eockhold  by  the  first  of  July.  I cannot  remain  long 
from  the  works  while  Fabian  is  away.  Now,  am  I 
clearly  understood 

^^Very  clearly,  sir,’^  replied  Sylvan,  speaking  for  him- 
self and  sister. 

^^Then,  good-night ; I am  going  to  bed,”  said  the  Iron 
King,  and  without  waiting  for  a response,  he  strode  out 
of  the  room. 

‘^Who  ever  heard  of  a man  dictating  to  a woman 
what  she  shall  wear  ?”  exclaimed  Cora. 

Sylvan  laughed. 

^^Why,  the  King  of  the  Cumberland  mines  would  dic- 
tate when  you  should  rise  from  your  seat  and  walk 
across  the  room;  when  you  should  sit  down  again; 
when  you  should  look  out  of  the  window,  and  every 
movement  of  your  life,  if  it  were  not  too  much  trouble. 
Good-night,  Cora.” 

The  brother  and  sister  shook  hands  and  parted  for 
the  night,  each  going  to  his  or  her  respective  apartment. 
Early  the  next  morning  the  little  party  met  at  break- 
fast. The  Iron  King  looked  sullen  and  defiant,  as  if 
he  were  challenging  the  whole  world  to  find  any  objec- 
tion to  his  remarkable  marriage  at  their  peril.  Mrs. 
Stillwater,  in  a pretty  morning  robe  of  pale  blue  sarce- 
net, made  very  plainly,  looked  shy,  humble,  and  depre- 
cating, as  if  begging  from  all  present  a charitable  con- 
struction of  her  motives  and  actions.  Cora  Eothsay 
looked  calm  and  cold  in  her  usual  widow^s  dress  and  cap. 


14 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


Sylvan  seemed  the  only  cheerful  member  of  the  party 
and  tried  to  make  conversation  out  of  such  trifles  as  the 
bill  of  fare  furnished.  All  were  relieved  when  the  party 
separated  and  went  to  their  rooms  to  dress  for  church. 
At  eleven  o’clock  they  reassembled  in  the  parlor.  Mr. 
Eockharrt  wore  a new  morning  suit.  He  might  have 
been  going  down  to  Wall  Street  instead  of  to  his  own 
wedding.  Rose  Stillwater  wore  a navy  blue  lusterless 
silk  traveling  dress,  with  hat,  veil  and  gloves  to  match, 
all  very  plain,  but  extremely  becoming  to  her  fresh  com- 
plexion and  ruddy  hair.  Cora  wore  her  widow’s  dress 
of  lusterless  black  silk  with  mantle,  bonnet,  veil  and 
gloves  to  match.  Sylvan,  like  his  grandfather,  wore  a 
plain  morning  suit. 

^^Well,  are  you  all  ready?”  demanded  old  Aaron, 
looking  critically  upon  the  party. 

^^All  ready,  sir,”  chirped  Sylvan  for  the  others. 

^Uome,  then.” 

And  the  aged  bridegroom  drew  the  arm  of  his  bride- 
elect  within  his  own  and  led  the  way  downstairs  and 
out  to  the  handsome  carriage  that  stood  waiting. 

He  handed  her  in,  put  her  on  the  back  seat  and  placed 
himself  beside  her. 

Sylvan  helped  his  sister  into  the  carriage  and  followed 
her.  They  seated  themselves  on  the  front  seat  opposite 
the  bridal  pair. 

And  the  carriage  drove  off. 

^^Oh !”  suddenly  exclaimed  old  Aaron  Rockharrt, 
rummaging  in  the  breast  pocket  of  his  coat  and  drawing 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


15 


tHence  a white  envelope  and  handing  it  to  Sylvan,  ^^here 
take  this  and  give  it  to  the  minister  as  soon  as  we  come 
before  him.’^ 

The  young  man  received  the  packet  and  looked  in- 
quiringly at  the  elder.  It  was  really  the  marriage  fee 
for  the  officiating  clergyman,  and  a very  ostentatious 
one  also;  but  the  Iron  King  did  not  condescend  to  ex- 
plain anything.  He  had  given  it  to  his  grandson  with 
his  orders,  which  he  expected  to  be  implicitly  obeyed 
without  question.  They  reached  the  church,  the  same 
church  in  which  they  had  heard  the  dean  preach  on  the 
previous  Sunday.  They  alighted  from  the  carriage  and 
entered  the  building,  old  Aaron  Eockharrt  leading  the 
way  with  his  bride-elect  on  his  arm.  Sylvan  and  Cora 
following.  The  church  was  vacant  of  all  except  the 
minister,  who  stood  in  his  surplice  behind  the  chancel 
railing,  and  the  sexton  who  had  opened  the  door  for  the 
party,  and  was  now  walking  before  them  up  the  aisle. 

The  church  was  empty,  because  this,  though  the  wed- 
ding of  a millionaire,  was  one  of  which  it  might  be  said 
that  there  was  ^^No  feast,  no  cake,  no  cards,  no  noth- 
ing.’^ 

The  party  reached  the  altar  railing,  bowed  silently  te 
the  minister,  who  nodded  gravely  in  return,  and  then 
formed  before  the  altar — ^the  venerable  bridegroom  and 
beautiful  bride  in  the  center,  Sylvan  on  the  right  of 
the  groom,  Cora  on  the  left  of  the  bride.  The  young 
man  performed  the  mission  with  which  he  had  been  in- 
trusted, and  then  the  ceremony  was  commenced.  It 


16 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

went  on  smoothly  enough  until  the  minister  in  its  proper 
place  asked  the  question : 

“Who  giveth  this  woman  to  be  married  to  this  man 

There  was  an  awful  pause. 

No  one  had  thought  of  the  necessity  of  having  a 
“church  father”  to  give  away  the  bride. 

The  officiating  clergyman  saw  the  dilemma  at  a 
glance,  and  quietly  beckoned  the  gray-haired  sexton  to 
come  up  and  act  as  a substitute.  But  Sylvan  Haught, 
with  a twinkle  of  fun  in  his  eyes,  turned  his  head  and 
whispered  to  the  newcomer: 

“ ^After  me  is  manners  of  you.’  ” 

Then  he  took  the  bride’s  hand  and  said  mightily: 

“I  do.” 

The  marriage  ceremony  went  on  to  its  end  and  was 
ever.  Congratulations  were  offered.  The  register  was 
signed  and  witnessed. 

And  old  Aaron  Eoekharrt  led  his  newly  married  wife 
out  of  the  church  and  put  her  into  the  carriage.  Then 
turning  around  to  his  grandchildren  he  said: 

“You  can  walk  back  to  the  hotel.  See  that  the  porters 
send  off  our  luggage  by  express  to  the  Cataract  House, 
Niagara  Balls.  They  have  their  orders  from  me,  but 
do  you  see  that  these  orders  are  promptly  obeyed.  Now, 
good-by.” 

He  shook  hands  with  Sylvan  and  Cora,  and  entered 
the  carriage,  which  immediately  rolled  off  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  railway  station. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  17 

The  brother  and  sister  walked  back  to  the  hotel  to- 
gether. 

^Tt  will  be  a curious  study,  Cora,  to  see  who  will  rule 
in  this  new  firm.  I believe  it  is  universally  conceded 
that  when  an  old  man  marries  a pretty  young  wife,  he 
becomes  her  slave.  But  our  honored  grandfather  has 
been  absolute  monarch  so  long  that  I doubt  if  he  can 
be  reduced  to  servitude.^’ 

have  no  doubts  on  the  subject,’’  replied  his  sister, 
have  been  watching  them.  He  is  not  subjugated 
by  Rose.  He  is  not  foolishly  in  love  with  her,  at  his 
age.  He  likes  her  as  he  likes  other  agreeable  accesso- 
ries for  his  own  sake.  I have  neither  respect  nor  affec- 
tion for  Rose,  yet  I feel  some  compassion  for  her  now. 
Whatever  the  drudgery  of  her  life  as  governess  may 
have  been  since  she  left  us,  long  ago,  it  has  been  noth- 
ing, nothing  to  the  penal  servitude  of  the  life  uponi 
which  she  has  now  entered.  The  hardest-worked  gov- 
erness, seamstress,  or  servant  has  some  hours  in  the 
twenty-four,  and  some  nook  in  the  house  that  she  can 
call  her  own  where  she  can  rest  and  be  quiet.  But  Rose 
Rockharrt  will  have  no  such  relief!  Do  I not  remem- 
ber my  dear  grandmother’s  life  ? And  my  grandfather 
really  did  love  her,  if  he  ever  loved  any  one  on  earth. 
This  misguided  young  woman  fondly  hopes  to  be  the 
ideal  old  man’s  darling.  She  deceives  herself.  She  will 
be  his  slave,  by  day  and  night  seldom  out  of  his  sight,, 
never  out  of  his  service  and  surveillance.  Possibly — 


18 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


for  she  is  not  a woman  of  principle — she  may  end  by 
running  away  from  her  master^  and  that  before  long/^ 

Cora’s  last  words  brought  them  to  the  ^Tadies’  En- 
trance” of  their  hotel. 

^^Go  upstairs,  Cora,  and  I will  step  into  the  office  and 
see  if  there  are  any  letters,”  said  Sylvan. 

Mrs.  Rothsay  went  up  into  their  private  sitting  room, 
dropped  into  a chair,  took  off  her  bonnet  and  began  to 
fan  herself,  for  her  midday  walk  had  been  a very  warm 
one. 

Presently  Sylvan  came  up  with  a letter  in  his  hand. 

^Tor  you,  Cora,  from  Uncle  Fabian ! There  is  a for- 
eign mail  just  in.” 

^^Give  it  to  me.” 

Sylvan  handed  her  the  letter.  Cora  opened  it,  glanced 
over  it,  and  exclaimed: 

^^Uncle  Fabian  says  that  he  will  be  home  the  last  of 
this  month.” 


CHAPTEE  II 

A CRISIS  AT  EOCKHOLD 

Brother  and  sister  went  to  Newport  and  spent  a 
month.  The  Dean  of  Olivet  was  in  the  town,  but  they 
never  met  him  because  they  never  went  into  society.  To- 
ward the  last  of  June,  Corona  proposed  that  they  should 
go  at  once  to  Eockhold. 

The  next  morning  brother  and  sister  took  the  early 
train  for  New  York.  On  the  morning  of  the  second  day 
they  took  the  express  train  for  Baltimore,  where  they 
stopped  for  another  night.  And  on  the  morning  of  the 
third  day  they  took  the  early  train  for  North  End, 
where  they  arrived  at  sunset.  They  went  to  the  hotel 
to  get  dinner  and  to  engage  the  one  hack  of  the  establish- 
ment to  take  them  to  Eockhold. 

Almost  the  first  man  they  met  on  the  hotel  porch  was 
Mr.  Clarence,  who  rushed  to  meet  them. 

^^Hurrah,  Sylvan!  Hurrah,  old  boy!  Back  again! 
Why  didn’t  you  write  or  telegraph  ? How  do  you  do, 
Cora!  Ah!  when  will  you  get  your  roses  back,  my 
dear?  And  how  is  his  Majesty?  Why  is  he  not  with 
you  ? Where  did  you  leave  him  ?”  demanded  Mr,  Clar- 

19 


^0  AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

ence  in  a gale  of  high  spirits  at  greeting  his  nephew  and 
niece  again. 

^‘^He  is  among  the  Thousand  Islands  somewhere  with 
his  bride,”  answered  Cora. 

‘‘His — ^what  ?”  inquired  Mr.  Clarence,  with  a puzzled 
air. 

“His  wife,”  said  Cora. 

“His  wife?  What  on  earth  are  you  talking  about, 
Cora  ? You  could  not  have  understood  my  question. 
I asked  you  where  my  father  was !”  said  the  bewildered 
Mr.  Clarence. 

“And  I told  you  that  he  is  on  his  wedding  trip  with 
his  bride,  among  the  Thousand  Islands,”  replied  Cora. 

Mr.  Clarence  turned  in  a helpless  manner. 

“Sylvan,”  he  said,  “tell  me  what  she  means,  will 
you  ?” 

“Why,  just  what  she  says.  Our  grandfather  and 
grandmother  are  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  but  will  be  home 
on  the  first  of  July,”  Sylvan  explained. 

But  Mr.  Clarence  looked  from  the  brother  to  the  sis- 
ter and  back  again  in  the  utmost  perplexity. 

“What  sort  of  a stupid  joke  are  you  two  trying  to 
get  off?”  he  inquired. 

They  had  by  this  time  reached  the  public  parlor  of 
the  hotel  and  found  seats. 

“Is  it  possible.  Uncle  Clarence,  that  you  do  not  know 
Mr.  Eockharrt  was  married  on  the  thirty-first  of  last 
month  in  New  York  to  Mrs.  Stillwater  ?”  inquired  Cora. 

“What!  My  father!” 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


21 


^^Why  should  you  be  amazed  or  incredulous,  Uncle 
Clarence  ? The  incomprehensible  feature,  to  my  mind,, 
is  that  you  should  not  have  heard  of  the  affair  directly 
from  grandfather  himself.  Has  he  really  not  written 
and  told  you  of  his  marriage 

^^He  has  never  told  me  a word  of  his  marriage,  though 
he  has  written  a dozen  or  more  letters  to  me  within  the 
last  few  weeks.^^ 

^^That  is  very  extraordinary.  And  did  you  not  hear 
any  rumor  of  it  ? Did  no  one  chance  to  see  the  notice 
of  it  in  the  papers?’’ 

^^No  one  that  I know  of.  No;  I heard  no  hint  of  my 
father’s  marriage  from  any  quarter,  nor  had  I,  nor  any 
one  else  at  Rockhold  or  at  North  End,  the  slightest  sus- 
picion of  such  a thing.” 

^^That  is  very  strange.  It  must  have  been  in  the  pa- 
pers,” said  Sylvan. 

^Tf  it  was  I did  not  see  it,  but,  then,  I never  think  of 
looking  at  the  marriage  list.” 

am  inclined  to  think  that  it  never  got  into  the 
papers.  The  marriage  was  private,  though  not  secret. 
And  you.  Sylvan,  should  have  seen  that  the  marriage 
was  inserted  in  all  the  daily  papers.  It  was  your  special 
duty  as  groomsman.  But  you  must  have  forgotten  it, 
and  I never  remembered  to  remind  you  of  it,”  said  Cora. 

^^Not  L I never  forgot  it,  because  I never  once 
thought  of  it.  Didn’t  know  it  was  my  duty  to  attend  to 
it.  Besides  I had  so  many  duties.  Such  awful  duties. 
Think  of  my  having  to  be  my  own  grandmother’s  church 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


22 

papa  and  give  her  away  at  the  altar ! That  duty  reduced 
me  to  a state  of  imbecility  from  which  I have  not  yet 
recovered.” 

“But,”  said  Mr.  Clarence,  with  a look  of  pain  on  his 
fine,  genial  countenance,  “it  is  so  strange  that  my  father 
never  mentioned  his  marriage  in  any  of  his  letters  to 
me.” 

“Perhaps  he  did  not  like  to  mix  up  sentiment  with 
business,”  kindly  suggested  Sylvan. 

“I  don’t  think  it  was  a question  of  sentiment,”  sighed 
Mr.  Clarence. 

“What  ? Not  his  marriage  ?” 

“No,”  sighed  Mr.  Clarence. 

“Well,  don’t  worry  about  the  matter.  Let  us  order 
dinner  and  engage  the  carriage  to  take  us  all  to  Eock- 
hold.  How  astonished  the  darkies  will  be  to  see  us, 
and  how  much  more  astonished  to  hear  the  news  we 
have  to  tell ! I wonder  if  they  will  take  kindly  to  the 
rule  of  the  new  mistress  ?”  said  Sylvan. 

“Why  did  not  one  of  you  have  the  kindness,  and 
thoughtfulness  to  write  and  tell  me  of  my  father’s  mar- 
riage ?”  sorrowfully  inquired  Mr.  Clarence,  utterly  ig- 
noring the  just  spoken  words  of  his  nephew. 

“Dear  Uncle  Clarence,  I should  certainly  have  writ- 
ten and  told  you  all  about  it  at  once,  if  I had  not  taken 
for  granted  that  grandfather  had  informed  you  of  his 
intention,  as  was  certainly  his  place  to  do.  And  even 
if  I had  written  to  you  on  any  other  occasion,  I should 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


23 


assuredly  have  alluded  to  the  marriage.  But,  you  see, 
I never  wrote  to  any  one  while  away,’^  Cora  explained. 

^^Now,  Uncle  Clarence,  just  take  Cora’s  explanation 
and  apology  for  both  of  us,  will  you,  for  it  fits  me  as 
well  as  it  does  her.  And  now  you  two  may  keep  the 
ball  rolling,  while  I go  out  and  order  dinner  and  engage 
the  hack,”  said  Sylvan,  starting  for  the  office. 

When  he  was  gone  Clarence  asked  Cora  to  give  him 
all  the  details  of  the  extraordinary  marriage,  and  she 
complied  with  his  request. 

^Tt  will  make  the  country  talk,”  said  the  young  man, 
with  a sigh,  which  Cora  echoed. 

^^And  you  say  they  will  be  home  on  the  first  of  July  ?” 
he  inquired. 

^^Yes,”  said  Cora. 

wish  I had  known  in  time.  I would  have  had  old 
Eockhold  Hall  prepared  as  it  should  be  for  the  recep- 
tion of  my  father’s  bride,  though  I do  so  strongly  dis- 
approve the  marriage.  Do  you  know,  Cora,  that  old 
house  has  never  had  its  furniture  renewed  within  my 
memory  ? Some  of  the  rooms  are  positively  moldy  and 
musty.  And  whoever  heard  of  a wealthy  man  like  my 
father  bringing  his  wife  home  to  a neglected  old  country 
house  like  Eockhold,  without  first  having  it  renovated 
and  refurnished  ?” 

do  not  believe  he  ever  once  thought  of  the  propri- 
ety or  necessity  of  repairing  and  refitting.  His  mind 
is  quite  absorbed  in  his  new  and  vast  speculations.  He 


24 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


spent  every  day  down  in  Wall  Street  while  we  stayed  in 
New  York  City.” 

“Well,  Corona,  this  is  the  twenty-eighth  of  June,  and 
we  have  four  days  before  us;  for  I do  not  suppose  the 
newly-married  pair  will  arrive  before  the  evening  of  the 
first  of  July;  so  we  must  do  the  best  we  can,  my  dear, 
to  make  the  house  pleasant  in  this  short  time.” 

“And  Uncle  Fabian  and  his  wife  will  be  at  Rockhold 
about  the  same  time,”  added  Cora. 

“I  knew  Fabian  would  be  at  North  End  on  the  first 
of  July,  but  I did  not  know  that  he  would  go  on  to  Rock- 
Fold.  I thought  he  would  go  on  to  their  new  hovtse. 
So  we  shall  have  two  brides  to  welcome,  instead  of  one.” 

“Yes.  And  now.  Uncle  Clarence,  will  you  please 
ring  for  the  chambermaid  ? I must  go  to  a bedroom  and 
get  some  of  this  railroad  dust  out  of  my  eyes,”  said 
Cora. 

At  nine  o’clock  in  the  very  warm  evening,  the  three 
were  sitting  near  the  open  windows,  when  they  started 
at  the  sound  of  a hearty,  genial  voice  in  the  adjoining 
room,  inquiring  for  accommodations  for  the  night. 

“It  is  Fabian!”  cried  Mr.  Clarence,  springing  up  in 
joy  and  rushing  out  of  the  room  to  welcome  his  only  and 
much  beloved  brother. 

The  glad  voices  of  the  two  brothers  in  greeting 
reached  their  ears,  and  a moment  after  the  door  was 
thrown  open  again,  and  Mr.  Clarence  entered,  conduct- 
ing Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fabian  Rockharrt. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


25 


As  soon  as  they  found  themselves  alone^  the  two 
brothers  took  convenient  seats  to  have  a talk. 

^^How  goes  on  the  works,  Clarence?’^  inquired  Mr. 
Fabian. 

^^Very  prosperously.  You  will  go  through  them  to- 
morrow and  see  for  yourself.’’ 

^^And  how  goes  on  the  great  scheme  ?” 

^^Even  better  than  the  works.  Last  reports  shares 
selling  at  one  hundred  and  thirty.” 

^^Same  over  yonder.  When  I left  Amsterdam  shares 
selling  like  hot  cakes  at  a hundred  and  thirty-one  seven- 
tenths.  How  is  the  governor  ?”  inquired  Mr.  Fabian. 

^^As  flourishing  as  a successful  financier  and  septua- 
genarian bridegroom  can  be.” 

^^Why ! what  do  you  mean  ?” 

‘^Haven’t  you  heard  the  news  ?” 

^^What  is  it?  You — you  don’t  mean ” 

^^Has  our  father  written  nothing  to  you  of  a very  im- 
portant and  utterly  unexpected  act  of  his  life  ?” 

advised  him  to  marry ” 

^^You ! You ! Fabian ! You  advised  our  father  to 
do  such  an  absurd  thing  at  his  age  ?” 

confess  I don’t  see  the  absurdity  of  it,”  quietly  re- 
plied the  elder  brother. 

‘^Oh,  why  did  you  counsel  him  to  such  an  act  ?”  in- 
quired Mr.  Clarence,  more  in  sorrow  than  in  anger. 

^^Out  of  pure  good  nature.  I was  getting  married 
myself  and  wanted  everybody  to  be  as  happy  as  I was 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


S6 

myself,  particularly  my  old  father.  Now  I wonder  he 
did  not  write  to  me  of  his  happiness;  but  perhaps  he 
has  done  so  and  the  letter  passed  me  on  the  sea.  When 
did  this  marriage  take  place 

^Un  the  last  day  of  May.’^ 

^^Whe-ew!  Then  there  was  ample  time  in  which  to 
have  written  the  news  to  me.  And  I have  had  at  least 
half  a dozen  business  letters  since  the  date  of  his  mar- 
riage, in  any  of  which  he  might  have  mentioned  the  oc- 
currence had  he  so  chosen.  The  lady  is  no  longer  young. 
She  must  be  forty-eight,  and  she  is  handsome,  cultured, 
dignified  and  of  very  high  rank.  A queenly  woman!’’ 

^^Do  you  know  whom  you  are  talking  about,  Fa- 
bian 

^^Mrs.  Bloomingfield,  the  lady  I recommended,  whom 
father  married.” 

^Uh,  indeed;  I thought  you  didn’t  know  what  you 
were  talking  about  or  whom  you  were  talking  of,”  said 
Mr.  Clarence. 

^^What  do  you  mean  by  that  ?” 

^Uur  father  never  accepted  your  recommendation; 
never  proposed  to  the  handsome,  high-spirited  Mrs. 
Bloomingfield.” 

^‘What!”  exclaimed  Mr.  Fabian.  ^^Whom,  then?” 

^^Whom  ? Whom  should  he  have  selected  but 

^The  Rose  that  all  ad-mi-r-r  ?’ 


^^Clarence,  what,  in  the  fiend’s  name,  do  you  mean  ? 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  27 

Whom  has  my  father  married?’’  demanded  Mr.  Fa- 
bian,  starting  up  and  staring  at  his  younger  brother. 

^^Mrs.  Rose  Flowers  Stillwater/’  replied  Mr.  Clar- 
ence^ staring  back. 

Mr.  Fabian  dropped  back  in  his  chair,  while  every 
vestige  of  color  left  his  face. 

^^Why,  Fabian!  Fabian!  Why  should  you  care  so 
much  as  all  this?  Speak,  Fabian;  what  is  the  matter?’^ 
inquired  the  younger  brother,  rising  and  bending  over 
the  elder. 

^^What  is  the  matter?”  cried  Mr.  Fabian,  excitedly. 
^^Euin  is  the  matter ! Ruin,  disgrace,  dishonor,  degra- 
dation, an  abyss  of  infamy ; that  is  the  matter.” 

^Uh,  come  now ! see  here ! that  is  all  wild  talk.  The 
young  woman  was  only  a nursery  governess,  to  be  sure, 
in  our  house,  and  then  widow  of  some  skipper  or  other ; 
but  she  was  respectable,  though  of  humble  position.” 

^^Clarence,  hush ! You  know  nothing  about  it !”  ex- 
claimed Mr.  Fabian,  wiping  his  forehead  with  his  hand- 
kerchief, and  then  getting  up  and  walking  the  floor  with 
rapid  strides. 

don’t  understand  all  this,  Fabian.  We  were  all  of 
us  a good  deal  cut  up  by  the  event,  but  nothing  like 
this !”  said  Mr.  Clarence,  uneasily. 

you  don’t  understand.  But  listen  to  me:  I 
was  on  my  way  to  Rockhold  to  join  in  the  family  re- 
union, and  to  show  the  old  homestead  to  my  wife ; but  I 
cannot  take  her  there  now.  I cannot  introduce  her  to 
the  new  Mrs.  Rockharrt — ^the  new  Mrs.  Rockharrt!” 


28 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


he  repeated,  in  a tone  and  with  a gesture  of  disgust  and 
abhorrence.  “I  shall  turn  back,  and  take  my  wife  to 
our  new  home ; and  when  I go  to  Rockhold  I shall  go 
alone.” 

“Fabian,  you  make  me  dreadfully  uneasy.  What  do 
you  know  of  Rose  Stillwater  that  is  to  her  discredit  ?” 
demanded  Clarence  Roekharrt. 

His  elder  brother  paused  in  his  excited  walk,  dropped 
his  head  upon  his  chest  and  reflected  for  a few  moments. 
Then  he  seemed  to  recover  some  degree  of  self-control 
and  self-recollection.  He  returned  to  his  chair,  sat  down, 
and  said: 

“Of  my  owm  personal  knowledge.  I know  nothing 
against  the  woman  but  just  this — that  she  is  but  half 
educated,  deceitful  and  unreliable.  And  that  knowl- 
edge I gained  by  experience  after  she  had  first  left  Eock- 
hold,  to  which  I had  first  introduced  her  for  a governess 
to  our  niece.  I had  nothing  to  do  with  her  return  to 
the  old  hall,  and  would  have  never  countenanced  such  a 
proceeding  if  I had  been  in  the  country.” 

“That  is  all  very  deplorable,  but  yet  it  hardly  war- 
rants your  very  strong  language,  Fabian.  I am  sorry 
that  you  have  discovered  her  to  be  ‘ignorant,  deceitful 
and  unreliable,’  but  let  us  hope  that  now,  when  she  is 
placed  above  temptation,  she  will  reform.  Don’t  take 
exaggerated  views  of  affairs,  Fabian.” 

The  elder  man  was  growing  calmer  and  more  thought- 
ful. Presently  he  said : 

“You  are  right,  Clarence.  My  indignation,  on  learn- 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


29 


ing  that  that  woman  had  succeeded  in  trapping  our  Iron 
King,  led  me  into  extravagant  language  on  the  subject. 
Forget  it,  Clarence.  And  whatever  you  do,  my  brother, 
drop  no  hint  to  any  one  of  what  I have  said  to  you  to- 
night, lest  our  father  should  hear  of  it;  for  if  he 
should ” 

Mr.  Fabian  paused. 

“I  shall  never  drop  a hint  that  might  possibly  give 
our  father  one  moment  of  uneasiness.  Be  sure  of  that, 
Fabian.” 

“That  is  good,  my  brother!  And  we  will  agree  to 
ignore  all  faults  in  our  young  stepmother,  and  for  our 
father’s  sake  treat  her  with  all  proper  respect.” 

“Of  course.  I could  not  do  otherwise.  And,  Fabian, 
I hope  you  will  reconsider  the  matter,  and  bring  Violet 
to  Eockhold  to  join  our  family  reunion.” 

“No,  Clarence,”  said  the  elder  brother;  “there  is  just 
where  I must  draw  the  line.  I cannot  introduce  my  wife 
to  the  new  Mrs.  Eockharrt.” 

“But  it  seems  to  me  that  you  are  very  fastidious,  Fa- 
bian. Do  you  expect  always  to  be  able  to  keep  Violet 
from  meeting  with  ‘ignorant,  insincere  and  unreliable’ 
people,  in  a world  like  this?”  inquired  Mr.  Clarence, 
significantly. 

“No,  not  entirely,  perhaps;  yet,  so  far  as  in  me  lies, 
I will  try  to  keep  my  simple  wood  violet  ‘unspotted 
from  the  world,  ’ ” replied  Mr.  F abian,  who,  untruthful 
and  dishonest  as  he  was  in  heart  and  life,  yet  reverenced 


30 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


while  he  wondered  at  the  purity  and  simplicity  of  his 
young  wife’s  nature. 

“I  am  afraid  the  pater  will  feel  the  absence  of  Violet 
as  a slight  to  his  bride,”  said  Mr.  Clarence. 

“No,  I shall  take  care  that  he  does  not.  Violet  is 
in  very  delicate  health,  and  that  must  be  her  excuse  for 
staying  at  home.” 

The  brothers  talked  on  for  a little  while  longer;  and 
then,  when  they  had  exhausted  the  subject  for  the  time 
being,  Mr.  Clarence  said  he  would  go  and  look  up  Syl- 
van, and  he  went  out  for  the  purpose.  Fabian  Eoek- 
harrt,  left  alone,  resumed  his  disturbed  walk  up  and 
down  the  room,  muttering  to  himself: 

“The  traitress ! the  unprincipled  traitress ! How  dared 
she  do  such  a deed  ? Didn’t  she  know  that  I could  ex- 
pose her,  and  have  her  cast  forth  in  ignominy  from  my 
father’s  house  ? Or  did  she  venture  all  in  the  hope  that 
consideration  of  my  father’s  age  and  position  in  the 
world  would  shut  my  mouth  and  stay  my  hand  ? She 
is  mistaken,  the  jade!  Unless  she  falls  into  my  plans, 
and  works  for  my  interest,  she  shall  be  exposed  and  de- 
graded from  her  present  position.” 

Mr.  Fabian  was  interrupted  by  the  re-entrance  of 
Mrs.  Eothsay.  He  turned  to  meet  her  and  inquired : 

“Where  did  you  leave  Violet,  my  dear  ?” 

“She  is  in  her  own  room,  which  is  next  to  mine.  I 
went  in  with  her  and  saw  her  to  bed,  and  waited  until 
she  went  to  sleep,”  replied  Cora. 

“Poor  little  one  I She  is  very  fragile,  and  has  been 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


31 


been  very  much  fatigued.  I do  not  think,  my  dear,  that 
I can  take  her  on  to  Eockhold  to-morrow.  I think  I 
must  let  her  rest  here  for  a day  or  two.’’ 

^Tt  would  be  best,  not  only  on  account  of  Violet’s 
delicacy  and  weariness,  but  also  on  account  of  the  con- 
dition of  the  house  at  Eockhold,  which  has  not  been 
opened  or  aired  for  months.” 

^^That  is  true;  though  I had  not  thought  of  it  be- 
fore,” said  Mr.  Fabian,  who  was  well  pleased  that  Cora 
so  readily  fell  in  with  his  plans. 

^‘What  do  you  think  of  the  pater’s  marriage,  Cora  ?” 
he  next  inquired. 

would  rather  not  give  an  opinion.  Uncle  Fabian,” 
she  answered. 

^^Then  I am  equally  well  answered,  for  that  is  giving 
a very  strong  opinion !”  he  exclaimed. 

‘^The  deed  is  done  and  cannot  be  undone !” 

^Uan  it  not  ? Perhaps  it  can !” 

^^What  do  you  mean.  Uncle  Fabian?” 

^‘Nothing  that  you  need  trouble  yourself  about,  my 
dear.  But  tell  me  this — what  do  you  mean  to  do,  Cora  ? 
Do  you, mean  to  stay  on  at  Eockhold?” 
suppose  I must  do  so.” 

^^Not  at  all,  if  you  do  not  like!  You  are  an  inde- 
pendent widow  and  may  go  where  you  please.” 

know  that  and  wish  to  go;  but  I do  not  wish  to 
make  a scene  or  cause  a scandal  by  leaving  my  grand- 
father’s protection  so  suddenly  after  his  marriage,  which 
is  open  enough  to  criticism,  as  it  is.  So  I must  stay  on 


32 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


at  Rockhold  so  long  as  Sylvan’s  leave  shall  last,  and 
until  he  shall  receive  his  commission  and  orders.  Then 
I will  go  with  him  wherever  his  duty  may  call  him.” 

“Good  girl ! You  have  decided  well  and  wisely. 
Though  the  post  of  duty  to  which  the  callow  lieuten- 
antling  will  be  ordered  must,  of  course,  be  Fort  Jump- 
ing Off  Point,  at  the  extreme  end  of  the  habitable  globe. 
Well,  my  dear,  I must  bid  you  good-night,  for,  see,  it  is 
on  the  stroke  of  eleven  o’clock,  and  I am  rather  tired 
from  my  journey,  for,  you  must  know,  we  rushed  it 
through  from  New  York  to  North  End  without  lying 
over,”  said  Mr.  Fabian,  as  he  shook  hands  with  his 
niece. 

He  retired,  and  his  example  was  soon  followed  by  all 
his  party. 


CHAPTEE  III 


A FAMILY  EEUNION 

The  next  morning,  after  an  early  breakfast,  the  trav- 
elers assembled  in  the  hall  of  the  hotel  to  take  leave 
of  each  other.  Clarence,  Sylvan,  and  Cora  entered  the 
capacious  carriage  of  the  establishment  to  drive  to  Eock- 
hold,  leaving  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eabian  Eockharrt  on  the 
porch  of  the  hotel,  at  which  they  had  decided  to  rest  for 
a few  days. 

shall  go  to  Eockhold  to  welcome  the  king  and 
queen  when  they  return,  Cora,”  said  Mr.  Fabian,  wa- 
ving his  hand  to  the  departed  trio,  though  he  had  not  the 
least  intention  of  keeping  his  word.  He  then  led  his 
pretty  Violet  into  the  house.  The  lumbering  carriage 
rolled  along  the  village  street,  passed  the  huge  build- 
ings of  the  locomotive  works,  and  out  into  the  road  that 
lay  between  the  foot  of  the  range  of  mountains  and  the 
banks  of  the  river. 

The  ferryboat  was  at  the  wharf,  and  the  broad-shoul- 
dered negro  dwarf  was  standing  on  it,  pole  in  hand. 

His  look  of  surprise  and  delight  on  seeing  Sylvan  and 
Cora  was  good  to  behold. 

^^Why,  Lors  bress  my  po’  ole  soul,  young  marse  an^ 
83 


34 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

miss,  is  yer  come  sure  ’nough?  ’Deed,  I’s  moughty 
proud  to  see  yer.  How’s  de  ole  marse  ? Wlien  he  com- 
ing back  agin  ?”  he  queried,  as  the  carriage  rolled 
slowly  across  the  gangplank  from  the  wharf  to  the  deck 
of  the  ferryboat. 

“Your  ole  marse  is  quite  well.  Uncle  Moses,  and  will 
be  home  on  the  first  of  the  month  with  his  new  wife,” 
said  Sylvan,  who  could  not  miss  the  fun  of  telling  this 
rare  bit  of  news  to  the  aged  ferryman. 

The  old  negro  dropped  his  pole  into  the  water,  opened 
his  mouth  and  eyes  to  their  widest  extent  and  gasped 
and  stared. 

“Wid — ^w’ich?”  he  said,  at  last. 

“With  his  new  wife  and  your  new  mistress,”  answered 
Sylvan. 

The  old  negro  dropped  his  chin  on  his  chest,  raised 
his  knobby  black  fingers  to  his  head  and  scratched  his 
gray  hair  with  a look  of  quaint  perplexity,  as  he  mut- 
tered. 

“Now  I wunner  ef  I tuk  too  heavy  a pull  on  to  dat 
dar  rum  iug,  fo’  I lef’  de  house  dis  mornin’ — I wunner 
if  I did  ?” 

His  mate  stopped  and  pulled  the  pole  up  out  of  the 
water  and  began  himself  to  push  off  the  boat  until  it 
was  afloat. 

They  soon  reached  the  opposite  shore,  drove  off  the 
boat  and  up  the  avenue  between  the  flowering  locust 
trees  that  formed  a long,  green,  fragrant  arch  above 
their  heads,  and  so  on  to  the  gray  old  house.  In  a very 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


35 


few  moments  the  door  was  opened  and  all  the  house- 
hold servants  appeared  to  welcome  the  returning  party. 
Most  of  them  looked  more  frightened  than  pleased ; but 
when  anxious  glances  toward  the  group  leaving  the  car- 
riage assured  them  that  the  family  ^^BoodlejocF’  was 
not  present,  they  seemed  relieved  and  delighted  to  see 
the  others. 

With  the  easy,  respectful  familiarity  of  long  and 
faithful  service,  the  negro  men  and  women  crowded 
around  the  entering  party  with  loving  greetings. 

The  news  of  the  Iron  King^s  marriage  was  told  by 
Sylvan.  Had  a bombshell  fallen  and  exploded  among 
the  servants,  they  could  not  have  been  more  shocked. 
There  was  a simultaneous  exclamation  of  surprise  and 
dismay,  and  then  total  silence. 

At  the  end  of  the  third  day  all  was  ready  for  the  re- 
ception of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eockharrt. 

The  next  day  was  the  first  of  July.  As  soon  as  Mr. 
Clarence  reached  his  private  office  at  the  works  he  found 
a telegram  waiting  him.  He  opened  it,  and  read  the  fol- 
lowing : 

Capon  Speings,  July  1,  18 — . 

Shall  reach  North  End  by  the  6 p.  m.  train.  Send  the 
carriage  to  meet  that  train.  Shall  go  directly  to  Rock- 
hold.  Order  dinner  there  for  8 p.  m. 

Aaron  Eockharrt. 

Mr.  Clarence  put  a boy  on  horseback  and  sent  him  on 
to  Cora,  with  this  message  inclosed  in  a note  from  him- 


36 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


self.  And  then  he  gave  his  attention  to  the  duties  of 
his  olEce.  He  was  still  busy  at  his  desk  when  Mr.  Fa- 
bian strolled  in. 

‘‘Well,  old  man,  good-morning.  I return  to  duty  to- 
day, because  it  is  the  first  of  the  month,  you  know.” 

“And  also  the  first  of  the  financial  year.  There  has 
been  so  much  to  do  within  the  last  few  da”s,  I am  glad 
you  have  returned  to  your  post.  I would  like  the  pater 
to  find  all  right  when  he  comes  to  inspec^.  By  the  way, 
I have  just  got  a telegram  from  him.  have  just  sent  it 
off  to  Cora,  so  that  she  may  know  whlan  to  send  the  car- 
riage, and  for  what  hour  to  order  dinner.  You  know  it 
would  never  do  to  have  anything  ‘gang  aglee’  in  which 
the  pater  is  interested.” 

“No.  Well,  you  and  I must  go  to  meet  him.  We 
must  not  fail  in  any  attention  to  the  old  gentleman.” 

“Of  course  not.  Oh ! what  will  the  people  say  when 
they  hear  the  news  ? I do  not  think  that  the  slightest 
rumor  of  the  mad  marriage  has  got  out.  I know  that  I 
have  not  breathed  it.” 

“Nor  I.  But  of  course  it  will  be  generally  known 
within  twenty-four  hours;  and  then  I hope  the  pater 
will  do  the  handsome  thing  and  give  his  workmen  a 
general  holiday  and  jollification.” 

“I  doubt  it,  since  he  has  not  even  refurnished  the 
shabby  old  drawing  room  at  Eockhold  in  honor  of  the 
occasion,”  said  Mr.  Clarence. 

Then  the  brothers  separated  for  the  day. 

Whenever  the  family  traveling  carriage  happened  to 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


37 


be  sent  from  Eockhold  to  the  North  End  railway  depot, 
it  always  stopped  at  the  North  End  Hotel  to  rest  and 
water  the  horses.  So  when  the  afternoon  waned,  as 
Messrs.  Fabian  and  Clarence  Eockharrt  had  to  remain 
busy  in  their  respective  offices  up  to  the  last  possible 
minute.  Sylvan  was  stationed  on  the  front  porch  of  the 
hotel,  with  tSe  day’s  newspapers  and  a case  of  cigars  to 
solace  him  while  watching  for  the  carriage. 

It  came  at  i quarter  to  five  o’clock,  and  while  the 
horses  were  restx  g and  feeding.  Sylvan  sent  a messen- 
ger to  summon  his  two  uncles.  By  the  time  the  two 
horses  were  ready  to  start  again,  the  two  men  came  up 
and  entered  the  carriage.  Sylvan  followed  them  in. 

^^See  here,  my  boy,”  said  Mr.  Fabian,  ^^you  can’t  go, 
you  know.  There  will  be  no  room  for  you  coming 
back.  Clarence  and  myself  fill  two  seats,  and  your 
grandfather  and ” 

^^Grandmother  fill  up  the  other,”  added  Sylvan.  ^^But 
never  mind ; in  coming  back  I can  ride  on  the  box  with 
the  coachman;  but  go  I will  to  meet  my  venerable 
grandparents ! Bless  my  wig ! didn’t  I give  away  my 
grandmother  at  the  altar,  and  shall  I not  pay  them  the 
attention  of  going  to  meet  them  on  their  return  from 
their  wedding  tour  ?” 

The  horses  started  at  a good  pace,  passed  through  the 
village  street,  entered  the  main  road  running  miles  be- 
tween the  great  works,  and  rolled  on  into  the  silent 
forest  road  that  led  to  the  railway  depot  in  the  valley. 


38  AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

Here  the  carriage  drew  up  before  the  solitary  station 
house. 

Soon  the  train  ran  in  and  stopped.  Old  Aaron  Eock- 
harrt  got  out  and  handed  down  his  wife,  before  turning 
to  face  his  sons.  A man  and  maid  servant,  loaded  down 
with  handbags,  umbrellas,  waterproofs,  and  shawls,  got 
out  of  another  car. 

^Tabian,  put  Mrs.  Eockharrt  into  the  carriage.  I 
shall  step  into  the  waiting  room  to  speak  to  the  ticket 
agent,’’  said  old  Aaron  Eockharrt,  as  he  strode  off  to  the 
building. 

Fabian  Eockharrt  gave  his  arm  to  the  lady,  who  dur- 
ing all  this  time  had  remained  closely  veiled.  He  led 
her  off,  leaving  Clarence  and  Sylvan  on  the  platform  to 
wait  for  the  return  of  Mr.  Eockharrt.  As  soon  as  Fa- 
bian and  his  companions  were  out  of  hearing  of  the  rest 
of  their  party,  he  turned  to  her,  and  bending  his  head 
close  to  her  ear,  said: 

^^Well,  Ann  White,  what  have  you  to  say  for  yourself, 
eh,  Ann  White  ?” 

He  felt  her  tremble  as  she  answered  defiantly : 

^^Mrs.  Eockharrt,  if  you  please.” 

^^No ; by  my  life  I will  never  give  to  such  as  you  my 
honored  mother’s  name!” 

^And  yet  I have  it  with  all  the  rights  and  privileges 
it  bestows,  and  I defy  you,  Fabian  Eockharrt!” 

^^You  know  very  little  of  the  laws  relating  to  mar- 
riage if  you  think  you  have  legal  right  to  the  name  and 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  39 

position  yon  have  seized,  or  that  I have  not  the  power  to 
thrust  you  out  of  my  father^s  house  and  into  a celV^ 
^^You  are  insolent ! I shall  report  your  words  to  Mr. 
Eockharrt,  and  then  we  shall  see  who  will  be  thrust  out 
of  his  house 

think  that  you  had  better  not.  Listen,  and  I will 
tell  you  something  that  you  do  not  know,  perhaps.’^ 

She  turned  quickly,  inquiringly,  toward  him.  He 
stooped  and  whispered  a few  words.  He  felt  her  thrill 
from  head  to  foot,  felt  her  rock  and  sway  for  a moment, 
and  then — ^he  had  just  time  to  catch  her  before  she  fell  a 
dead  weight  in  his  arms. 


CHAPTER  IV 


THE  WHISPERED  WORDS 

‘Well!  what^s  all  this?’’  abruptly  demanded  old 
Aaron  Rockbarrt,  as  he  came  up,  followed  by  Clarence 
and  Sylvan,  just  as  Eabian  was  lifting  the  unconscious 
woman  into  the  carriage. 

“Mrs.  Rockharrt  has  been  over-fatigued,  I think,  sir, 
for  she  has  fainted.  But  don’t  be  alarmed;  she  is  re- 
covering,” said  Mr.  Eabian^  as  he  settled  the  lady  in  an 
easy  position  in  a corner  of  the  carriage,  and  found  a 
smelling  salts  bottle  and  put  it  to  her  nose. 

“ ‘Alarmed  ?’  Why  should  I be  ?” 

“]^o  reason  why,  sir,”  answered  Mr.  Fabian,  who 
then  stooped  to  the  woman  and  whispered : “Nor  need 
you  be  so.  You  are  safe  for  the  present.” 

“Will  you  get  out  of  my  way  and  let  me  come  to  my 
place  ?’’  demanded  the  Iron  King. 

“Pardon  me,  sir,”  said  Fabian,  stepping  backward 
from  the  carriage. 

“Fainting?”  said  the  old  man,  in  a tone  of  annoy- 
ance, as  he  took  his  seat  beside  his  new  wife,  “fainting  ? 
The  first  Mrs.  Rockharrt  never  fainted  in  her  life ; nor 
ever  gave  any  sort  of  trouble.  What’s  the  matter  with 

40 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


41 


you,  Rose?  Don’t  be  a consummate  fool  and  turn 
nervous.  I won’t  stand  any  nonsense,”  he  said  roughly, 
as  he  peered  into  the  pale  face  of  his  new  slave. 

^^Oh,  it  is  nothing,”  she  faltered,  ^^nothing.  I was 
overcome  by  heat.  It  is  a very  hot  day.” 

‘^Why,  it  is  a very  cool  afternoon.  What  do  you 
mean?”  he  demanded. 

^Tt  has  been  a very  hot  day,  and  the  heat  and  fa- 
tigue  ” 

^^Eubbish !”  he  interrupted.  ^Tf  I were  to  give  any 
attention  to  your  faints  you  would  be  fainting  every 
day  just  to  have  a fuss  made  over  you.  Now  this  faint- 
ing business  has  got  to  be  stopped.  Do  you  hear  ? If 
you  are  out  of  order,  I will  send  for  my  family  physi- 
cian and  have  you  examined.  If  you  are  really  ill,  you 
shall  be  put  under  medical  treatment ; if  you  are  not,  I 
will  have  no  fine  lady  airs  and  affectations.  The  first 
Mrs.  Eockharrt  was  perfectly  free  from  them.” 

would  not  have  given  way  to  the  weakness  if  I 
could  have  helped  it — indeed  I would  not!”  said  the 
poor  woman,  very  sincerely. 

^We’ll  see  to  that!”  retorted  the  Iron  King. 

Ah,  poor  Rose ! She  was  not  the  old  man’s  darling 
and  sovereign,  as  she  had  hoped  and  planned  to  be.  She 
was  the  tyrant’s  slave  and  victim. 

A man  of  Aaron  Rockharrt’s  temperament  seldom,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-seven,  becomes  a lover;  and  never, 
at  any  age,  a woman’s  slave. 

Mr.  Fabian  now  got  into  the  carriage,  and  sat  down  on 


42 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


the  front  cushion  opposite  his  father  and  stepmother. 
Mr.  Clarence  was  following  him  in,  when  Mr.  Rock- 
harrt  roughly  interfered. 

^^What  are  you  about  here,  Clarence  ? What  are  you 
going  to  do?^’ 

^^Take  my  seat  in  the  carriage,  of  course,  sir,^’  an- 
swered the  young  man,  with  a surprised  look. 

^Wou  are  going  to  do  nothing  of  the  sort!  I don’t 
choose  to  have  the  horses  overtasked  in  this  manner.  I 
myself,  with  Eabian  and  my  coachman,  to  say  nothing 
of  Mrs.  Rockharrt,  are  weight  enough  for  one  pair  of 
horses,  and  you  can’t  come  in  here.  Where’s  Sylvan 

^^On  the  box  seat  beside  the  driver.” 

^^Eeally?”  demanded  the  Iron  King,  in  a sarcastic 
tone.  ^^How  many  more  of  you  desire  to  be  drawn  by 
one  pair  of  horses?  Tell  Sylvan  to  come  down  off 
that.” 

^^But,  sir,  there  is  not  a single  conveyance  of  any  de- 
scription at  the  station,”  urged  Clarence. 

^Tndeed ! And  pray  what  do  you  call  your  own  two 
pairs  of  sturdy  legs  ? Are  they  not  strong  enough  to 
convey  you  from  here  to  North  End,  where  you  can  get 
the  hotel  hack?  And,  by  the  way,  why  did  you  not 
engage  the  hack  to  come  here  and  take  you  back?” 

^^Because  it  was  out,  sir.” 

^^Then  you  two  should  not  have  come  here  to  over- 
load the  horses.  But  as  you  have  come,  you  must  walk 
back.  Has  Sylvan  got  off  his  perch?  Ah,  yes;  I see. 
Well,  tell  the  coachman  to  drive  first  to  the  North  End 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


43 


Hotel.  And  do  yon  two  long-legged  calves  walk  after 
it.  If  the  hack  should  be  still  out  when  we  get  there, 
you  can  stay  at  the  hotel  until  it  comes  in.’^ 

^^All  right,  sir/^  said  Clarence,  good-humoredly;  and 
he  closed  the  door,  and  gave  the  order  to  the  coachman, 
who  immediately  started  his  horses  on  the  way  to  North 
End. 

On  the  way  home  Mr.  Clarence  inquired  of  his 
nephew  when  he  expected  to  receive  his  commission  and 
where  he  expected  to  be  orderd. 

^^How  can  I tell  you  ? I must  wait  for  a vacancy,  I 
suppose,  and  then  be  sent  to  the  Devil’s  Icy  Peak  or 
Fort  Jumping  Off  Place,  or  some  such  other  pleasant 
post  of  duty  on  the  confines  of  terra  incognita.  But 
the  farther  off,  the  stranger  and  the  savager  it  is,  the 
better  I shall  like  it  for  my  own  sake,  but  it  will  be 
rough  on  Cora,”  said  the  youth. 

^^But  you  do  not  dream  of  taking  Cora  out  there!” 
exclaimed  Clarence,  in  pained  surprise. 

^Uh,  but  I do!  She  insists  on  going  where  I go. 
She  is  bent  on’  being  a voluntary,  unsalaried  mission- 
ary and  school  mistress  to  the  Indians  just  because  Rule 
died  a martyred  minister  and  teacher  among  them.” 

^^She  is  mad !”  exclaimed  Mr.  Clarence ; mad.” 

^^She  has  had  enough  to  make  her  mad,  but  she  is  sane 
enough  on  this  subject,  I can  tell  you.  Uncle  Clarence. 
She  is  the  most  level-headed  young  woman  that  I know, 
and  the  plan  of  life  that  she  has  laid  out  for  herself  is 
the  best  course  she  could  possibly  pursue  under  the 


44 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


present  circumstances.  She  is  very  miserable  here.  This 
plan  will  give  her  the  most  complete  change  of  scene 
and  the  most  interesting  occupation.  It  will  cure  her  of 
her  melancholy  and  absorption  in  her  troubled  past,  and 
when  she  shall  be  cured  she  may  return  to  her  friends 
here,  or  she  may  meet  with  some  fine  fellow  out  there 
who  may  make  her  forget  the  dead  and  leave  off  her 
weeds.  That  is  what  I hope  for.  Uncle  Clarence.” 

And  for  the  rest  of  their  walk  they  trudged  on  in  si- 
lence or  with  but  few  words  passed  between  them.  It 
was  sunset  when  they  reached  North  End. 

That  evening  when  Sylvan  and  Cora  found  them- 
selves together  for  a moment  at  Eockhold  House,  the 
youth  said: 

“Corona  Eothsay,  the  sooner  I get  my  orders  and  you 
and  I depart  for  Scalping  Creek  or  Perdition  Peak,  or 
wherever  I am  to  be  shoveled  off  to,  the  better,  my 
dear,”  said  the  young  soldier. 

“What  do  you  think  of  it  all  now.  Sylvan  ?”  she  in- 
quired. 

“I  think,  Cora,  that  while  we  do  stay  here  it  would 
he  Christian  charity  to  be  very  good  to  The  Rose  that 
all  admire.’  Nobody  will  admire  her  any  more,  I think.” 

“Why  ?”  inquired  Cora,  in  surprise. 

“Oh,  you  didn’t  see  her  face.  She  had  her  mask 
— veil,  do  you  call  it  ? — down,  so  you  couldn’t  see.  But, 
oh,  my  conscience ! how  she  is  changed  in  these  last  six 
weeks!  She  is  not  a blooming  rose  any  more.  She  is 
a snubbed,  trampled  on,  crushed  and  wilted  rose.  Her 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


45 


face  looks  pale;  her  hair  dull;  her  eyes  weak;  her 
beauty  nowhere ; her  cheerfulness  nowhere  else.” 

Early  the  next  morning,  after  a hasty  breakfast,  Mr. 
Eockharrt  entered  his  carriage  to  drive  to  the  works. 
Young  Mrs.  Rockharrt,  under  the  plea  of  fatigue  from 
her  long  journey,  retired  to  her  own  room. 

Cora  said  to  her  brother: 

“Sylvan,  I wish  you  would  order  the  little  carriage 
and  take  me  to  the  Banks  to  see  Violet.  I should  have 
paid  her  this  attention  sooner  but  for  the  pressure  of 
work  that  has  been  upon  me.  I must  defer  it  no  longer, 
but  go  this  morning.” 

“All  right,  Cora!”  answered  the  young  man,  and  he 
left  the  room  to  do  his  errand. 

Cora  went  upstairs  to  get  ready  for  her  drive. 

In  about  fifteen  minutes  the  two  were  seated  in  the 
little  open  landau,  that  had  been  the  gift  of  the  late 
Mrs.  Eockharrt  to  her  beloved  granddaughter,  and  that 
the  latter  always  used  when  driving  out  in  the  country 
around  Eockhold  during  the  summer. 

They  did  not  have  to  cross  the  ferry,  as  the  new  house 
of  Fabian  Eockharrt  was  on  the  same  side  of  the  river 
as  was  Eockhold. 

The  road  on  this  west  side  was,  however,  much 
rougher,  though  the  scenery  was  much  finer. 

They  drove  on  through  the  woods,  which  here  clothed 
the  foot  of  the  mountain  and  grew  quite  down  to  the 
water’s  edge,  meeting  over  their  heads  and  casting  the 
road  into  deep  shadow. 


46 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


They  drove  on  for  about  three  miles,  when  they  came 
to  a point  where  another  road  wound  up  the  mountain 
side,  through  heavy  woods,  and  brought  them  to  a beau- 
tiful plateau,  on  which  stood  the  handsome  house  of 
Fabian  Eockharrt,  in  the  midst  of  its  groves,  flower 
gardens,  arbors,  orchards  and  conservatories. 

It  was  a double,  two-storied  house,  of  brown  stone, 
with  a fine  green  background  of  wooded  mountain,  and 
a front  view  of  the  river  below  and  the  mountains  be- 
yond. There  were  bay  windows  at  each  end  and  piazzas 
along  the  whole  front. 

As  the  carriage  drew  up  before  the  door,  Violet  was 
discovered  walking  up  and  down  the  front  porch.  She 
looked  very  fragile,  but  very  pretty  with  her  slight, 
graceful  figure  in  a morning  dress  of  white  muslin,  with 
blue  ribbons  at  her  throat  and  in  her  pale  gold  hair. 

She  came  down  to  meet  her  visitors. 

“Oh,  I am  so  glad  you  have  come,  Cora  and  Sylvan !” 
she  said,  throwing  her  arms  around  the  young  lady  and 
kissing  her  heartily,  and  then  giving  her  hand  and  offer- 
ing her  cheek  for  a greeting  from  the  young  man. 

“I  fear  you  must  be  lonely  here,  Violet,”  said  Cora. 

“Awfully  lonesome  after  Fabian  has  gone  away  in 
the  morning,  Cora.  It  would  be  such  a charity  in  you 
to  come  and  stay  with  me  for  a little  while ! Come  in 
now  and  we  will  talk  about  it,”  said  the  little  lady,  as 
she  led  the  way  back  to  the  house. 

“Sylvan,”  she  continued,  as  they  paused  for  a moment 
on  the  porch,  “send  your  coachman  around  to  the  sta- 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  47 

ble  to  put  up  your  carriage.  You  and  Cora  will  spend 
the  day  with  me  at  the  very  least.’^ 

^^Just  as  Cora  pleases ; ask  her/^  said  the  young  man 
with  a glance  toward  his  sister. 

^^Yes,”  she  answered. 

^^You  are  a love!”  exclaimed  Violet,  as  she  led  the 
way  into  the  hall  and  thence  into  a pleasant  morning 
room. 

Cora  laid  off  her  bonnet  and  sank  into  an  easy  chair 
by  the  front  window. 

^^Now,^as  soon  as  you  are  well  rested,  I wish  to  show 
you  both  over  the  house  and  grounds.  Such  a charm- 
ing house,  Cora!  Such  beautiful  grounds.  Sylvan!” 
exclaimed  the  proud  little  mistress. 

Cora  smiled  approval,  but  did  not  explain  that  she 
herself  had  gone  all  through  the  establishment  several 
times,  in  the  course  of  its  fitting  up,  to  see  that  all 
things  were  arranged  properly  before  the  arrival  of  the 
married  pair. 

And  when,  a little  later,  the  trio  went  through  the 
rooms,  she  expressed  as  much  pleasure  in  their  appear- 
ance as  if  she  had  never  seen  them  before. 

The  brother  and  sister  spent  a very  pleasant  day  at 
Violet  Banks,  and  when  in  the  cool  of  the  evening  they 
would  have  taken  leave,  the  young  wife  pleaded  with 
them  to  stay  all  night. 

In  the  midst  of  this  discussion  Mr.  Eabian  Eockharrt 
came  home  from  North  End. 

As  he  entered  the  parlor  he  heard  his  Wood  Violet  at 


48 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


her  petition.  He  greeted  them  all,  kissed  his  wife,  kissed 
Cora,  and  shook  hands  with  Sylvan. 

“Now,  let  me  settle  this  matter,”  he  said,  good-hu- 
moredly, as  he  threw  himself  into  a large  arm  chair. 

“First  tell  me,  Cora,  what  is  the  obstacle  to  your 
spending  the  night  with  us  ?” 

“Only  that  I did  not  announce  even  this  visit  to  the 
family  at  Eockhold.” 

“Do  you  owe  any  special  obligation  to  do  so  ?” 

“It  is  not  a question  of  obligation,  but  of  courtesy.  I 
should  certainly  be  remiss  in  politeness  to  leave  the 
house  for  a two-days’  visit  without  giving  notice  of  my 
intention,”  she  answered. 

“Oh ! I see ! Well,  I can  fix  all  that.  You  will  both 
remain  to  dinner.  After  dinner  it  will  not  be  too  late 
for  Sylvan  to  take  my  sure-footed  cob  and  ride  back  to 
Eockhold  and  explain  to  the  family  that  Cora  is  to 
remain  here  overnight,  and  that  I will  myself  take  her 
home  to-morrow  evening  if  she  should  wish  to  go.” 

“What  do  you  say,  Cora  ?”  inquired  the  young  man. 

“I  accept  Uncle  Fabian’s  offer  and  will  remain  here 
for  the  present,”  said  the  young  lady. 

“Like  the  sensible  woman  that  you  are!”  exclaimed 
Mr.  Fabian. 

Half  an  hour  later  the  four  sat  down  to  dinner  in  one 
of  the  prettiest  little  dining  rooms  that  ever  was  seen. 

Soon  after  the  pleasant  meal  was  over.  Sylvan  took 
leave  of  his  friends,  mounted  the  white  cob  that  stood 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


49 


saddled  at  the  door,  and  rode  down  the  wooded  hill  to 
the  river  road  leading  to  Rockhold. 

The  three  left  behind  spent  the  remainder  of  the 
evening  on  the  front  porch,  watching  the  deep  river,  the 
hoary  mountains,  the  starry  sky,  and  listening  to  the 
hum  of  insects,  the  whirl  of  waters  and  the  singing  of 
the  summer  breeze  through  the  pines  that  clothed  the 
precipice,  and  talking  very  little. 

They  retired  to  rest  at  a late  hour. 

Yet  on  the  next  morning  they  met  at  an  early  break- 
fast, for  Mr.  Fabian  had  to  go  to  the  works  to  make  up 
for  much  lost  time  while  affairs  were  left  under  the  sole 
management  of  Mr.  Clarence. 

Cora  remained  with  Violet,  who  took  her  into  a more 
interior  confidence,  and  exhibited  with  equal  pride  and 
delight  sundry  dainty  little  garments  of  fine  cambric 
and  linen  richly  trimmed  with  lace  or  embroidery,  all 
the  work  of  her  own  delicate  fingers. 

^^They  tell  me,  Cora,  that  I could  buy  all  these  things 
as  cheap  and  as  good  as  I can  make  them.  But  I do 
take  such  pleasure  in  making  them  with  my  own  hands.’^ 

Cora  kissed  her  tenderly  for  all  reply. 

Then  the  little  lady  began  to  ask  questions  about  her 
new  stepmother-in-law. 

^^You  know,  Cora,  that  I could  not  ask  you  yesterday 
while  Sylvan  w^as  with  us.  He  is  in  your  full  confi- 
dence, no  doubt,  and  I have  perfect  faith  in  him ; but  for 
all  that  we  cannot  speak  freely  on  all  subjects  before  a 
third  person,  however  near  and  dear.  At  least  I could 


50 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


not  ask  searching  questions  about  Mr.  Eockharrt’s  mar- 
riage before  Sylvan.  Sucb  a strange  marriage,  with 
sucb  a disparity  in  years  between  a man  of  Mr.  Rock- 
barrt’s  venerable  age  and  Mrs.  Stillwater’s  blooming 
youtb!  I saw  ber  once  by  cbance.  Sbe  looked  a per- 
fect Hebe  of  radiant  bealtb  and  beauty.” 

Cora  Eotbsay  smiled.  Sbe  might  have  told  this  little 
lady  that  there  was  not  much  more  difference  between 
the  ages  of  Rose  Stillwater  at  thirty-seven  and  Aaron 
Rockbarrt  at  seventy-seven  than  there  was  between 
Violet  Wood  at  seventeen  and  Eabian  Rockbarrt  at 
fifty-two.  But  as  the  young  wife  did  not  see  this  fact, 
Cora  refrained  from  showing  it  to  ber. 

Then  Violet  wanted  to  know  what  Cora  herself 
thought  of  the  marriage. 

Cora  said  she  thought  it  concerned  only  the  parties 
in  question,  and  only  time  could  tell  how  it  would  turn 
out. 

In  such  confidential  talk  passed  the  long  summer  day. 

In  the  cool  of  the  evening  Mr.  Fabian  came  home  to 
dinner. 

He  joined  his  wife  in  trying  to  persuade  Cora  to  re- 
main with  them  yet  another  day;  but  Cora  explained 
that  there  were  many  reasons  for  her  return  to  Rock- 
hold. 

Finding  her  obdurate,  Mr.  Fabian  ordered  Mrs.  Roth- 
say’s  landau  to  be  at  the  door  at  a certain  hour. 

And  as  soon  as  dinner  was  over  and  Cora  had  put  on 
her  bonnet  and  taken  leave  of  Violet,  with  a promise  to 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


51 


return  within  a few  days,  Mr.  Eabian  placed  her  in  the 
carriage,  took  his  seat  beside  her,  and  drove  down  the 
wooded  hill  to  the  river  road  below. 

^Tt  is  not  altogether  for  pleasure  that  I pressed  you 

to  stay  till  to-night,  Cora,  although  your  presence  gave 

great  pleasure  to  my  wife  and  self.  I wished  to  have  a 

private  talk  with  you.  Cora,  you  ought  not  to  stay  at 

Rockhold.  You  should  come  to  us,’’  said  Mr.  Fabian, 

as  they  bowled  along  the  wooded  road  between  the  foot 

of  the  hills  and  the  banks  of  the  river. 

♦ 

^^Why  ?”  inquired  the  lady. 

He  did  not  answer  at  once,  but  drove  slowly  on  as  if 
to  gain  time  for  thought.  At  length,  however,  he  said : 

think  that  a home  with  Violet  and  myself  at  the 
Banks  would  be  much  more  congenial  to  you  than  one 
with  your  grandfather  and  his  new  wife  at  Rockhold.” 

^Hut,  my  dear  Uncle  Fabian,  under  present  circum- 
stances my  grandfather  is  my  natural  protector  and 
Rockhold  my  proper  home  until  my  brother  has  one  to 
offer  me.” 

^^Cora,  you  are  not  frank  with  me.  I know  how  you 
feel  about  staying  at  Rockhold,  and  also  why  you  feel 
as  you  do ; though  I do  not  see  by  what  agency  or  intui- 
tion you  could  have  gained  the  knowledge  you  seem  to 
possess.” 

^Hncle  Fabian,  I have  no  positive  knowledge  of  any 
cause  why  I should  shrink  from  continuing  in  my  nat- 
ural home.  I have  only  suspicions,  which  perhaps  you 


52  AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

could  clear  up  or  confirm,  if  you  would  be  frank  witH 
me.” 

He  drove  on  slowly  in  silence  without  answering  her. 
She  continued: 

“I  wrote  to  you  while  you  were  in  Europe,  inform- 
ing you  that  Mrs.  Stillwater  had  been  invited  by  my 
grandfather  to  come  to  Eockhold  to  remain  as  long  as 
should  be  convenient  to  herself.  You  never  replied  to 
my  letter.” 

“I  never  got  such  a letter,  Cora.  It  must  have  been 
lost  with  others  that  miscarried  among  the  Continental 
mails,  when  they  were  following  me  from  one  oflSce  to 
another.  But  even  if  I had  received  such  a letter,  it 
could  have  made  no  difference.  I could  not  have  pre- 
vented Mrs.  Stillwater’s  visit,  nor  the  event  that  resulted 
from  the  visit.  I could  not  have  written  or  returned  in 
time.” 

“Should  you  have  prevented  the  visit  or  the  mar- 
riage that  followed  if  you  could  have  done  so  ?” 

“Most  certainly  I should.” 

“Why  ?” 

“For  the  same  reason  that  you,  or  Clarence,  or  Syl- 
van would  have  done  so.  For  the  reason  of  its  total 
unfitness.  But,  Cora,  my  dear,  I repeat  that  you  have 
not  been  frank  with  me.  You  are  hiding  something 
from  me.” 

“And  I repeat.  Uncle  Fabian,  that  I have  no  positive 
knowledge  of  any ” 

“Yes ; so  you  said  before,”  he  exclaimed,  interrupting 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


53 


her.  ^^You  have  no  positive  knowledge,  but  yon  have 
very  strong  suspicions  founded  upon  very  solid  grounds ! 
Now,  what  are  these  grounds,  my  dear  ? I am  your  un* 
cle.  You  should  give  me  your  confidence.’’ 

If  Mr.  Fabian  had  not  put  the  matter  in  this  way, 
and  if  they  had  not  been  driving  along  the  dark  and 
over-shadowed  road  where  the  meeting  branches  of  the 
trees  above  almost  hid  the  light  of  the  stars,  so  that  only 
one  or  two  occasionally  gleamed  through  the  foliage, 
Cora  would  never  have  been  able  to  reply  to  her  uncle  as 
she  did. 

^^Uncle  Fabian,  do  you  remember  a certain  warm 
night  in  September  some  five  years  ago,  when  we 
stopped  at  the  Wirt  House  in  Baltimore?” 

^^On  our  way  home  from  Canada — yes,  I do.” 

^^My  room  was  close  that  night  and  I could  not  sleep. 
A little  after  midnight  I got  up  and  put  on  my  dressing 
gown  and  went  into  the  adjoining  room,  which  was  our 
private  parlor,  and  I sat  down  in  a cool  corner  in  the 
shadow  of  the  curtain  and  in  the  draught  of  the  window. 
I fell  asleep,  but  was  soon  awakened  by  the  sound  of  a 
door  opening  and  some  one  whispering.  I was  about  to 
call  out  when  I recognized  your  voice.  The  room  was 
pitch  dark.  I could  not  see  you ; but  then  I was  about 
to  speak,  when  I recognized  another  voice — Mrs.  Still- 
water’s. You  had  let  yourself  in  by  your  own  key, 
through  the  door  leading  from  her  room,  which  was 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  parlor  from  mine.” 

Cora  paused  to  wait  for  the  effect  of  her  words. 


54f 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


Mr.  Fabian  drove  on  slowly  in  silence. 

sat  there  quite  still,  too  much  surprised  to  speak 
or  move.’^ 

^^And  so  you  overheard  that  interview/^  said  Mr.  Fa- 
bian, with  a dash  of  anger  in  his  usually  pleasant  voice. 

could  not  escape.  I was  amazed,  spellbound,  too 
confused  to  know  what  to  do.^^ 

^Well  r 

gathered  from  your  words  that  you  and  she  were 
either  secretly  married  or  secretly  engaged  to  be  mar- 
ried.^^ 

‘^That  was  your  opinion.’^ 

^^What  other  opinion  could  I form?  You  were  pro- 
viding her  with  a house  and  an  income.  She  was  speak- 
ing of  herself  as  a daughter-in-law  sure  to  be  acceptable 
to  your  father  and  mother.  Of  course,  I judged  from 
that  that  you  were  either  wedded  or  betrothed,  which 
was  an  incomprehensible  thing  to  me,  who  had  been  led 
to  believe  that  the  lady  was  the  wife  of  Captain  Still- 
water, remaining  in  Baltimore  to  meet  her  husband, 
whose  ship  was  then  daily  expected  to  arrive.^’ 

^^You  were  wrong,  Cora,’^  said  Mr.  Fabian,  now 
speaking  in  his  natural  tone,  without  a shade  of  anger — - 
^^quite  wrong,  my  dear;  there  was  nothing  of  the  sort. 
I was  never  engaged  to  Mrs.  Stillwater.’^ 

^^Then  she  subsequently  refused  you.  I am  telling 
you  what  I thought  then,  not  what  I think  now.  I have 
heard  from  her  own  lips  that  after  her  husband’s  death 
you  proposed  to  her  and  she  refused  you.” 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


55 


Mr.  Eabian  shook  with  silent  laughter.  When  he  re- 
covered he  asked: 

^^And  you  believed  her  V’ 

do  not  know.  I was  in  a maze.  There  were  so 
many  contradictory  and  inconsistent  circumstances  sur- 
rounding the  woman  that  seemed  to  live  and  move  in  a 
web  of  deception  woven  by  herself/^  said  Cora,  wearily, 
as  if  tired  of  the  subject. 

^^And,  after  all,  she  is  a very  shallow  creature,  inca- 
pable of  any  deep  scheming;  there  is  no  great  harm. 
She  knows  that  she  is  beautiful — still  beautiful — and 
her  only  art  is  subtle  flattery.  She  flattered  your  grand- 
father ^to  the  bent  of  his  humor,^  with  no  deeper  design 
than  to  marry  him  and  gain  a luxurious  home  and  an 
ample  dower,  as  well  as  an  adoring  husband.  You  see 
she  has  succeeded  in  marrying  him,  poor  little  devil! 
but  she  gained  nothing  but  a prison  and  a jailer  and 
penal  servitude.  I repeat,  there  is  no  great  harm  in  her ; 
and  yet,  Cora,  my  dear,  I do  not  permit  my  wife  to  visit 
her,  and  I do  not  wish  you  to  remain  in  the  same  house 
with  her/’ 

‘'Why,  Uncle  Eabian!  you  were  the  very  first  to  in- 
troduce her  to  us ! It  was  you  who  were  charged  with 
the  duty  of  finding  a nursery  governess  for  me,  and  you 
selected  Rose  Flowers  from  a host  of  applicants.’^ 

“I  know  I did,  my  dear.  She  seemed  to  me  a lovely, 
amiable,  attractive  girl  of  seventeen,  not  very  well  edu- 
cated, yet  quite  old  enough  and  learned  enough  to  be 
nursery  governess  to  a little  lady  of  seven  summers. 


56 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


And  she  did  her  duty  and  made  herself  beloved  by  you 
all,  did  she  not?” 

“Yes,  indeed.” 

“And  so  she  always  has  done  and  always  will  do. 
And  yet,  my  dear,  you  must  not  live  in  the  same  house 
with  her  now,  even  if  you  did  live  years  together  when 
she  was  your  governess.” 

“Are  you  not  even  more  prejudiced  against  Mrs. 
Roekharrt  than  I am?” 

“Bah!  no,  my  dear;  I have  no  ill  will  against  the 
woman,  though  I will  not  let  my  niece  live  with  her  or 
my  wife  visit  her.” 

“I  wish.  Uncle  Fabian,  that  you  would  be  more  ex- 
plicit and  tell  me  all  you  know  of  Rose  Flowers — or 
Mrs.  Stillwater — ^before  she  became  Mrs.  Roekharrt.” 

“Have  you  told  me  all  you  know  of  her,  Cora,  my 
dear  ?” 

“I  have  said  several  times  that  I know  nothing,  and 
yet — stop ” 

“What?” 

“In  addition  to  that  strange  interview  that  I over- 
heard, yet  did  not  understand,  there  was  something  else 
that  I saw,  but  equally  did  not  understand.” 

“What  was  that?” 

“Something  that  happened  while  were  were  in  New 
York  City  in  May  last.” 

“Will  you  tell  me  what  it  was  ?” 

“Yes,  certainly.  We  were  staying  at  the  Star  Hotel. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


5T 


We  stayed  over  Sunday,  and  we  went  to  the  Epkcopal 
church  near  our  hotel,  to  hear  an  English  divine  preach.’’ 

^Welir 

^^He  was  the  celebrated  pulpit  orator,  the  Dean  of 
Olivet ” 

^^Good  Heav ” exclaimed  Mr.  Fabian,  involuntar- 

ily, but  stopping  himself  suddenly. 

^ What  is  the  matter  demanded  Cora,  suspiciously, 
was  too  near  the  edge  of  the  precipice.  We  might 
have  been  in  the  river  in  another  moment,”  said  Mr. 
Fabian. 

Cora  did  not  believe  him,  but  she  refrained  from  say- 
ing so. 

^^The  danger  is  past.  Go  on,  my  dear.” 

^We  were  shown  into  the  strangers’  pew.  The  vol- 
untary was  playing.  We  all  bowed  our  heads  for  the 
short  private  prayer.  The  voluntary  stopped.  Then 
we  heard  the  voice  of  the  dean  and  we  lifted  our  heads. 
I turned  to  offer  Mrs.  Stillwater  a prayer  book.  Then  I 
saw  her  face.  It  was  ghastly,  and  her  eyes  were  fixed 
in  a wild  stare  upon  the  face  of  the  dean,  whose  eyes 
were  upon  the  open  book  from  which  he  was  reading. 
Quick  as  lightning  she  covered  her  face  with  her  veil 
and  so  remained  until  we  all  knelt  down  for  the  opening 
prayer.  When  we  arose  from  our  knees.  Rose  was  gone.” 

Cora  paused  for  a few  moments. 

^^Go  on,  go  on,”  said  Mr.  Fabian. 

^We  did  not  leave  the  chiirch.  Grandfather  evidently 
took  for  granted  that  Rose  had  left  on  account  of  some 


58 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


trifling  indisposition,  and  he  is  not  easily  moved  by 
women’s  ailments,  you  know.  So  we  stayed  out  the 
services  and  the  sermon.  When  we  returned  to  the  hotel 
we  found  that  Rose  had  retired  to  her  room  suffering 
from  a severe  attack  of  neuralgic  headache,  as  she  said.” 

“What  did  you  think  ?” 

“I  thought  she  might  have  been  suddenly  attacked  by 
maddening  pain,  which  had  given  the  wild  look  to  her 
eyes;  but  the  next  day  I had  good  reason  to  change 
my  opinion  as  to  the  cause  of  her  strange  demeanor.” 

“What  was  that?” 

“We  all  left  the  hotel  at  an  early  hour  to  take  the 
train  for  West  Point.  Mrs.  Stillwater  seemed  to  have 
quite  recovered  from  her  illness.  We  had  arrived  at  the 
depot  and  received  our  tickets,  and  were  waiting  at  the 
rear  of  a great  crowd  at  the  railway  gate,  till  it  should 
be  opened  to  let  us  pass  to  our  train.  I was  standing 
on  the  right  of  my  grandfather,  and  Rose  on  my  right. 
Suddenly  a man  looked  around.  He  was  a great  Wall 
Street  broker  who  had  dealings  with  your  firm.  Seeing 
grandfather,  he  spoke  to  him  heartily,  and  then  begged 
to  introduce  the  gentleman  who  was  with  him.  And 
then  and  there  he  presented  the  Dean  of  Olivet  to  Mr. 
Rockharrt,  who,  after  a few  words  of  polite  greeting, 
presented  the  dean  to  me,  and  turnd  to  find  Rose  Still- 
water.” 

“Well!  Well!” 

“She  was  gone.  She  had  vanished  from  the  crowd 
at  the  railway  gate  as  swiftly,  as  suddenly,  and  as  in- 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


59 


comprehensibly  as  she  had  vanished  from  the  church. 
After  looking  about  him  a little,  my  grandfather  said 
that  she  had  got  pressed  away  from  us  by  the  crowd,  but 
that  she  knew  her  way  and  would  take  care  of  herself 
and  follow  us  to  the  train  all  right.  But  when  the  gates 
were  opened  we  did  not  see  her,  nor  did  we  find  her  on 
the  train,  though  Mr.  Eockharrt  walked  up  and  down 
through  the  twenty  cars  looking  for  her,  and  feeling 
sure  that  we  should  find  her.  The  train  had  started,  so 
we  had  to  go  on  without  her.  My  grandfather  con- 
cluded that  she  had  accidentally  missed  it  and  would 
follow  by  the  next  one.^’ 

^^And  what  did  you  think,  Cora 

thought  that,  for  some  antecedent  and  mysteri- 
ous reason,  she  had  fied  from  before  the  face  of  the 
Dean  of  Olivet  at  the  railway  station,  even  as  she  had 
done  at  the  church.’’ 

^^When  and  where  did  you  find  her?” 

^^Not  until  our  return  to  New  York  City.  My  grand- 
father was  in  a fine  state ; kept  the  telegraph  wires  at 
work  between  West  Point  and  New  York,  until  he  got 
some  clew  to  her,  and  then,  without  waiting  for  the 
closing  exercises  at  the  military  academy,  he  hurried  me 
back  to  the  city.  We  found  the  missing  woman  at  St. 

L ’s  Hospital,  where  she  had  been  conveyed  after 

having  been  found  in  an  unconscious  condition  in  the 
ladies’  room  of  the  railway  depot.  She  was  better,  and 
we  brought  her  away  to  the  hotel.  The  Dean  of  Olivet 
went  to  Newport,  and  Mrs.  Stillwater  recovered  her 


60 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


spirits.  A few  days  later  she  married  Mr.  Eockharrt  at 
the  church  where  the  dean  had  preached.  You  know 
everything  else  about  the  matter.  And  now,  Uncle  Ea- 
bian,  tell  me  that  woman’s  story,  or  at  least  all  that  is 
proper  for  me  to  know  of  it.” 

“Cora,  you  read  Rose  Stillwater  aright.  She  did  on 
both  these  occasions  fly  from  before  the  face  of  the 
Dean  of  Olivet.  I will  tell  you  all  about  her,  for  it  is 
now  right  that  you  should  know;  but  you  must  prom- 
ise never  to  reveal  it.” 

“I  promise.” 


CHAPTEK  V 


WHO  WAS  ROSE  FLOWERS  f 

^Well,  my  dear  Corona,  I must  ask  you  to  cast  your 
thoughts  back  to  that  year  when  you  first  came  to  Eock- 
hold  to  live,  and  engrossed  so  much  of  your  grand- 
mother’s time  and  attention  that  your  grandfather  grew 
jealous  and  impatient,  and  commissioned  me  to  ‘hire’  a 
nursery  governess  to  look  after  you  and  teach  you  the 
rudiments  of  i^ucation.  You  remember  that  time, 
Cora  ?”  inquired  Mr.  Fabian,  as  he  held  the  reins  with  a 
slackened  grasp,  so  that  the  horse  jogged  slowly  along 
the  wooded  road  between  the  foot  of  the  mountain  and 
the  banks  of  the  river,  under  the  star-lit  sky. 

“I  remember  perfectly,”  answered  the  girl. 

“Well,  business  took  me  to  New  York  about  that 
time,  and  I thought  it  a good  opportunity  to  hunt  up  a 
governess  for  you.  So  I advertised  in  the  New  York 
papers,  giving  my  address  at  an  uptown  oflfice,  while 
my  own  business  kept  me  downtown. 

“The  first  letter  I opened  interested  me  so  much  that 
I gave  my  whole  attention  to  that  first,  and  so  it  hap- 
pened that  I had  no  occasion  to  touch  the  others.  It  was 
from  one  Ann  White,  who  described  herself  as  a moth- 

61 


62 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


erless  and  fatherless  girl  of  sixteen^  a stranger  in  this 
country,  who  was  trying  to  get  employment  as  assistant 
teacher,  governess,  or  copyist,  and  who  was  well  fitted 
to  take  sole  charge  of  a little  girl  seven  years  old. 

‘Terhaps  this  might  not  have  impressed  me,  but  she 
went  on  to  write  that  she  had  not  a friend  in  the  whole 
country,  that  she  was  utterly  destitute  and  desolate,  and 
begged  me  for  Heaven’s  mercy  not  to  throw  her  letter 
aside,  but  to  see  her  and  give  her  a trial.  She  inclosed 
her  photograph,  not,  as  she  wrote,  from  any  vanity,  but 
that  I might  see  her  face  and  take  pity  on  her. 

^^Cora,  there  was  an  air  of  childish  frankness  and  sim- 
plicity about  her  letter  that  was  well  illustrated  by  her 
photograph.  It  was  that  of  a sweet-smiling  baby  face ; 
a sunny,  innocent,  beautiful  face.  I answered  the  letter 
immediately,  asking  for  her  address,  that  I might  call 
and  see  her.  The  next  day  I received  her  answer,  thank- 
ing me  with  enthusiastic  earnestness  for  my  prompt  at- 
tention to  her  note,  and  giving  me  the  number  and  street 
of  her  residence  in  Harlem.  I got  on  a Second  Avenue 
car  and  rode  out  to  Harlem;  got  off  at  the  terminus, 
walked  up  a cross  street  and  walked  some  distance  to 
a bijou  of  a brown  cottage,  standing  in  shaded  grounds, 
with  sunny  gleams  and  flower  beds,  and  half  covered  by 
creeping  roses,  clematis,  wistaria,  and  all  that. 

went  in  and  was  received  by  the  beautiful  being 
that  you  have  known  as  Rose  Flowers.  She  was  dressed 
in  some  misty,  cloud-like  pale  blue  fabric  that  set  off 
her  blonde  beauty  to  perfection.  After  we  were  seated 


63 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

and  had  talked  some  time,  I telling  her  what  light  du- 
ties would  be  required  of  her — only  the  care  of  one  good 
little  girl  of  seven  years,  and  of  a very  mild  old  lady 
who  was  the  only  lady  in  the  house,  and  of  the  old  gen- 
tleman who  was  the  head  of  the  family,  strict  but  just  in 
all  his  dealings ; and  of  our  country  house  in  the  moun- 
tains and  our  town  house  in  the  State  capital — and  she 
expressing  the  greatest  and  frankest  anxiety  to  become 
a member  of  such  a happy,  amiable,  prosperous  family, 
and  declaring  with  childish  boasting  that  she  was  quite 
competent  to  perform  all  the  duties  expected  of  her  and 
would  perform  them  conscientiously,  I suddenly  asked 
her  for  her  references. 

T — I have  not  a friend  in  this  world,’  she  said ; and 
then  in  a timid  voice,  she  asked : ^Are  references  indis- 
pensable V 

Uf  course,’  I answered. 

^Then  the  Lord  help  me ! Nothing  is  left  but  the 
river.  The  river  won’t  require  references’;  and  with 
that  she  buried  her  little  golden-haired  head  in  the  cush- 
ions of  the  sofa  and  burst  into  a perfect  storm  of  sobs 
and  tears.  Now,  Cora,  what  in  the  deuce  was  a man  to 
do  ? I had  never  seen  anything  like  that  in  all  my  life 
before.  I had  never  seen  a woman  in  such  a fit  before. 
All  this  was  strange  and  horrible  to  me. 

am  a middling  strong  old  fellow,  but  that  beauti- 
ful girl’s  despair  upset  me,  and  I never  could  hear  any 
one  hint  suicide,  and  she  talked  of  the  river.  The  river 
would  receive  her  without  references.  The  river  was 


641  !A.N  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

kinder  than  her  own  fellow  creatnres ! The  river  would 
give  her  a home  and  rest  and  peace ! She  only  wanted 
to  do  honest  work  for  her  living,  hut  human  beings 
would  not  even  let  her  work  for  them  without  refer- 
ences ! And  I declare  to  you,  Cora,  she  was  not  acting, 
as  you  might  suspect.  She  was  in  deadly  earnest.  Her 
sobs  shook  her  whole  frame. 

'^At  last  I myself  behaved  like  an  ass.  I went  and 
knelt  down  beside  her  so  as  to  get  quite  close  to  her, 
and  I began  to  comfort  her.  I told  her  not  to  mind 
about  the  references;  that  she  might  have  me  for  a 
reference  all  the  days  of  her  life ; that  she  should  have 
the  situation  at  Eockhold,  where  I would  convey  her 
and  introduce  her  on  my  own  responsibility. 

“While  I spoke  to  her  I laid  my  hand  on  the  little 
golden-haired  head  and  smoothed  it  all  the  time.  Out 
of  pity,  Cora,  I assure  you  on  my  honor,  out  of  pity. 
After  a while  her  sobs  seemed  to  subside  slowly.  I told 
her  that  her  face  was  to  me  a sufficient  recommendation 
in  her  favor,  an  all  sufficient  testimonial  of  character; 
but  that  I must  have  her  confidence  in  exchange  for  my 
own. 

“You  see,  Cora,  I was  very  sorry  for  the  poor,  pretty 
creature,  and  was  really  anxious  to  befriend  her;  but 
also  my  curiosity  was  keenly  piqued.  I wished  to  know 
her  private  history,  and  so  I assured  her  that  she  should 
have  the  position  she  wanted  on  the  condition  of  telling 
me  her  antecedents. 

“At  last  she  yielded,  and  told  me  the  story  of  her 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  65 

short,  willful  life.  This,  then,  was  her  poor,  little,  pa- 
thetic story: 

^^Her  name  was  Ann  White.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
Amos  White,  an  English  curate,  living  in  a remote  vil- 
lage in  Northumberland,  and  of  his  first  wife,  who  had 
died  during  the  infancy  of  her  youngest  child,  Ann,  a 
year  after  which  her  father  had  married  again.  Ann’s 
stepmother  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  women  in 
England,  and — one  of  the  most  discontented,  as  the  wife 
of  a widowed  clergyman  who  was  old  enough  to  be  her 
father,  who  had  three  sons  and  two  daughters  by  a 
former  marriage,  and  who  was  trying  to  support  his 
family  on  a hundred  pounds  a year.  Yet,  so  long  as 
her  father  lived,  Ann’s  childhood  was  happy.  But  her 
father,  who  had  been  a consumptive,  also  died  when  Ann 
was  about  seven  years  old.  Then  the  family  was  broken 
up.  The  three  stepsons  went  to  seek  their  fortunes  in 
New  Zealand.  The  eldest  stepdaughtr  had  been  mar- 
ried and  had  gone  to  London  a few  months  before  her 
father’s  death;  the  younger  stepdaughter  went  to  live 
with  that  married  sister.  Ann  and  her  stepmother  were 
permitted  to  remain  at  the  parsonage  until  the  successor 
of  Amos  White  could  be  appointed.  At  last  the  new 
curate  came — a handsome  and  accomplished  man — 
Rev.  Raphael  Rosslynn.  He  was  a bachelor,  without 
near  relatives.  He  called  on  the  Widow  White  and 
at  once  set  her  heart  at  ease  by  begging  her  not  to  trou- 
ble herself  to  leave  the  parsonage,  but  to  remain  there 
for  the  present  at  least,  and  take  him  as  a boarder.  He 


66 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


was  perfectly  frank  with  the  lovely  widow  and  told  her 
that  he  was  engaged  to  his  own  cousin,  and  that  as  soon 
as  he  should  get  a living  promised  him  on  the  death  of 
the  present  incumbent,  and  which  was  worth  twelve 
hundred  pounds  a year,  he  should  marry,  but  that  he 
could  not  allow  himself  to  anticipate  happiness  that 
must  rise  on  a grave.  But  in  the  course  of  the  year  that 
which  might  have  been  expected  happened.  The  young 
widow,  who  had  never  cared  for  her  elderly  first  hus- 
band, fell  desperately  in  love  with  her  lodger,  who  was 
not  very  slow  to  respond,  for  her  grace,  beauty  and  al- 
lurements attracted,  bewildered,  and  bedeviled  him,  so 
that  he  forgot  or  deplored  his  plighted  vows  to  his  good 
little  cousin.  To  shorten  the  story,  the  cousin  released 
him.  In  a few  days  the  curate  and  the  widow  were  mar- 
ried. Ann  was  utterly  neglected,  ignored,  and  forgot- 
ten. Her  lessons,  which,  before  the  advent  of  the  hand- 
some curate,  had  been  the  widow's  care,  were  now  sus- 
pended. Time  went  on,  and  these  ardent  lovers  cooled 
off.  Not  that  their  youth  or  health  or  beauty  waned; 
not  at  all ; but  that  their  illusions  were  fading.  Yet,  as 
often  happens,  as  love  cooled,  jealousy  warmed  to  life — - 
each  one  conscious  of  indifference  toward  the  other,  yet 
resenting  a corresponding  indifference  in  the  other.  As 
years  went  on,  six  children  were  born  to  this  unhappy 
pair,  whom  not  the  Lord  but  the  devil  had  joined  to- 
gether, and  with  their  increasing  family  came  increasing 
poverty.  It  was  hard  to  support  a growing  household 
on  one  hundred  pounds  a year. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


67 


the  seventh  year  of  their  marriage,  in  desperation, 
the  Reverend  Raphael  advertised  his  ability  and  readi- 
ness to  ‘prepare  young  men  for  college/  He  obtained 
but  one  pupil,  one  Alfred  Whyte,  the  son  of  a retired 
brewer.  You  perceive  that  he  had  the  same  surname 
with  the  young  Ann,  but  it  was  spelled  differently — with 
a y instead  of  an  ^i,’  as  her  name  was.  He  seems  to 
have  been  a fine,  hearty,  good-natured  young  fellow, 
about  twenty  years  of  age,  with  a short,  stout  form,  a 
round,  red  face,  and  dark  eyes  and  hair.  He  hated 
study,  but  loved  children,  animals,  and  outdoor  sports. 
It  was  in  the  course  of  nature  that  he  should  fall  in  love 
with  the  fair  fifteen-year-old  beauty  Ann  White. 

^^She  returned  his  affection  because  since  her  father\s 
death  he  was  the  only  human  being  who  had  ever  been 
kind  to  her.  The  first  year  that  he  spent  at  the  parson- 
age was  the  happiest  year  Ann  had  ever  known.  Before 
it  drew  to  an  end,  however,  their  happiness  was  cloud- 
ed. The  young  man  had  over  and  over  again  assured 
the  girl  of  his  love  for  her,  and  at  last  he  asked  her  to 
marry  him.  She  consented.  Then  he  wrote  and  asked 
permission  of  his  father  to  wed  the  curate’s  stepdaugh- 
ter. 

^Yhe  answer  might  have  been  anticipated.  The 
purse-proud  retired  brewer,  who  had  dreams  of  his  only 
son  and  heir  going  into  Parliament  and  marrying  some 
impoverished  nobleman’s  daughter,  wrote  two  furious 
letters,  one  to  his  son,  commanding  his  immediate  re- 
turn home,  and  another  to  the  Rev.  Raphael  Rosslynn, 


68 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

reproaching  him  with  having  entrapped  his  pupil  into 
an  engagement  with  his  pauper  stepdaughter. 

^^We  can  judge  the  effect  of  these  letters  upon  the 
peace  of  the  parsonage. 

‘^^The  Reverend  Raphael  commanded  his  pupil  into 
his  presence,  and  after  severely  censuring  him  for  his 
conduct  in  ^betraying  the  confidence  of  the  family  who 
had  received  him  into  its  bosom/  he  requested  that  Mas- 
ter Whyte  should  leave  the  house  with  all  convenient 
speed. 

^^The  youth  urged  that  he  had  meant  no  harm  and  had 
done  no  harm,  that  he  was  honestly  in  love  with  the 
young  lady,  and  had  honestly  asked  leave  to  marjy  her, 
and  that  he  certainly  would  marry  her — " - 


^Though  mammy  and  daddy  and  all  gang  mad.^ 

^^Mr.  Rosslynn  referred  him  to  his  father’s  letter  and 
ordered  him  to  depart.  And  then  the  reverend  gentle- 
man went  to  his  wife’s  room  and  bitterly  reproached  her 
that  her  forward  girl  had  been  the  cause  of  his  losing 
his  pupil  and  eighty  pounds  a year. 

^^She  told  him  that  the  fault  was  his  own ; that  he 
should  never  have  received  a young  man  as  a resident 
pupil  in  the  house  where  there  w^as  a young  girl. 

fierce  quarrel  ensued,  which  was  ended  at  last  by 
the  reverend  gentleman  going  out  and  banging  the  door 
behind  him  with  a force  that  shook  the  house,  and  in  a 
state  of  mind  that  rendered  him  singularly  unfit  to  read 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  69 

the  prayers  for  the  sick  beside  the  bed  of  a dying 
parishioner  to  whom  he  was  urgently  summoned. 

^^Mrs.  Eosslynn  immediately  hastened  to  wreak  her 
vengeance  on  her  stepdaughter.  She  set  her  teeth  as 
she  seized  the  unlucky  girl,  whom  she  found  at  work  in 
the  kitchen,  pushed  her  roughly  on  into  the  narrow  pas- 
sage up  the  steep  stairs  and  into  the  little  back  loft  that 
the  child  called  her  own  bedroom. 

^^Here  she  took  a firmer  grip  upon  the  girl,  and  with 
a dog  whip  that  she  had  hastily  snatched  from  the  hat 
rack  in  passing,  she  lashed  the  hapless  creature  over 
back  and  shoulder. 

^Ann  never  sruggled  or  cried  out,  but  held  her  tongue 
in  fierce  wrath  and  stubborn  endurance.  Could  that 
woman,  the  victim  of  all  ungovernable  passions,  have 
but  known  what  she  did,  or  foreseen  its  results ! 

‘^At  last  she  ceased,  pushed  the  bruised  and  wounded 
child  away  from  her,  sank  panting  to  a chair,  and  as 
soon  as  she  recovered  her  breath,  began  to  insult  and 
abuse  the  orphan  child  of  her  deceased  husband,  charg- 
ing her  with  disgracing  the  house  by  improper  conduct, 
of  which  the  girl  had  never  even  dreamed ; accusing  her 
of  causing  the  loss  of  their  pupil  and  the  income  derived 
from  him,  and  reproaching  her  for  making  discord  be- 
tween herself  (Mrs.  Eosslynn)  and  her  husband. 

^^Ann  replied  by  not  one  word. 

^^At  length  the  maddened  woman,  having  talked  her- 
self out  of  breath,  got  up,  left  the  room,  and  locked  the 


70 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

door,  not  on  her  victim  alone,  but  on  all  the  evil  spirits 
she  had  raised  from  Tartarus  and  left  with  the  girl. 

“Ann  sank  upon  the  bed,  weeping,  moaning,  and 
grinding  her  teeth,  her  body  prostrated  by  pain,  her  soul 
filled  with  bitter  wrath  and  scorn  toward  one  whom  she 
should  rather  have  been  led  to  love  and  honor.  In  the 
fiery  torture  of  her  flesh  and  the  humiliation  of  her 
spirit  she  uttered  but  these  piteous  words : 

“ ‘Oh,  my  own  mother ! — oh,  my  lost  father ! do  you 
see  your  child  V 

“For  more  than  an  hour  she  lay  there  before  the  fierce 
smarting  and  burning  of  her  scourged  flesh  began  to 
subside.  The  short  November  afternoon  darkened  into 
night.  No  one  came  near  her.  The  hour  for  supper 
passed.  No  one  called  her  to  the  meal.  She  heard  the 
family  passing  to  their  rooms.  She  heard  her  mother 
putting  the  other  children  to  bed — a duty  that  she  her- 
self had  hitherto  performed.  At  last  all  sounds  died 
away  in  the  house,  and  she  knew  that  all  the  inmates 
had  retired,  and  the  lights  were  out.  She  was  medita- 
ting to  run  away;  she  did  not  know  in  what  direction, 
or  to  what  end,  further  than  to  escape  from  the  home 
that  was  hateful  to  her. 

“Evil  spirits  were  with  her,  suggesting  many  desper- 
ate thoughts ; at  length  they  infused  a deadly,  horrible 
temptation  to  a deed  of  self-destruction  so  ghastly  that 
its  discovery  should  appal  the  family,  the  parish,  and 
the  whole  world ; that  should  cover  her  tormentors  with 
shame,  reproach  and  infamy. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


71 


^^She  sprang  np  from  her  bed  and  went  to  search  in 
the  drawer  of  a little  old  wooden  stand,  until  she  found 
a half  page  of  note  paper  and  a bit  of  lead  pencil. 

'^She  took  them  out  and  wrote  to  her  persecutors,  say- 
ing that  she  was  going  to  throw  herself — not  into  the 
sea,  nor  from  a precipice,  because  both  earth  and  sea 
give  up  their  dead — but  into  the  quicksands,  which  never 
give  up  anything;  they,  her  tormentors,  should  never 
even  see  again  the  body  they  had  bruised  and  torn  and 
degraded;  and  she  prayed  that  the  Lord  would  ever 
deal  by  them  as  they  had  dealt  with  her. 

^Tt  must  have  been  near  midnight  when  she  heard  a 
tap  at  her  window,  so  light  that  at  first  she  thought  it 
was  made  by  a large  raindrop ; but  presently  her  name 
was  softly  called  by  a voice  that  she  recoamized.  Then 
she  understood  it  all,  and  her  thoughts  of  the  quicksands 
vanished. 

^^Her  room  was  a small  one  in  the  rear  of  the  house, 
immediately  over  the  back  kitchen,  and  her  back  win- 
dow opened  upon  the  roof  of  the  wood  shed  behind  the 
kitchen.  She  went  and  hoisted  the  widow,  and  there 
on  the  roof  of  the  wood  shed  stood  Alfred  Whyte. 

^^He  told  her  that  he  had  taken  leave  of  the  ogre  and 
the  orgress  hours  before,  and  they  thought  he  was  off  to 
London  by  the  four  o’clock  mail ; but  that  he  had  gone 
no  farther  than  the  railway  station,  where  he  had 
bought  a ticket,  and  had  gone  on  the  platform,  as  if  to 
wait  for  his  train;  but  when  it  came  up,  instead  of  ta- 
king his  place  on  it,  he  had  slipped  away  in  the  confu- 


72  AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

sion  of  its  arrival  and  had  hidden  himself  in  the  woods 
on  the  other  side  of  the  road,  where  he  had  waited  until 
it  was  dark,  when  he  had  come  back  to  watch  the  parson- 
age until  every  one  should  have  gone  to  bed,  so  that  he 
could  get  speech  with  Ann. 

‘‘And  then  he  asked  her  if  she  were  ‘game  for  a bolt.’ 

“She  did  not  understand  him;  but  when  he  next 
spoke  plainly,  and  inquired  if  she  would  run  away  with 
him  and  he  married,  she  answered  promptly  that  she 
would. 

“He  told  her  to  get  ready  quickly,  and  to  dress  warm- 
ly, for  the  night  was  damp  and  cold,  and  to  tie  up  a 
little  bundle  of  things  that  she  might  need  on  the  jour- 
ney; but  not  to  take  much,  because  he  had  plenty  of 
money,  and  could  buy  her  all  she  needed. 

“ ‘Much !’  Poor  little  thing,  she  had  not  much  to 
take!  She  put  on  her  best  dress — a well-worn  blue 
serge — a coarse  black  cloth  walking  jacket,  and  a little 
straw  hat  with  a faded  blue  ribbon.  She  had  no  gloves. 
She  tied  up  a hair  brush,  worn  nearly  to  the  wood,  a 
tooth  brush  not  much  better,  the  half  of  a broken  dress- 
ing comb,  and  one  clean  linen  collar,  in  a small  pocket 
handkerchief,  and  she  was  all  ready  for  her  wedding 
trip. 

“He  told  her  to  bolt  her  door  before  she  came  out, 
because  that  would  take  the  ogres  some  little  while  to 
force  it  open,  and  would  give  the  fugitives  a better 
start. 

“Ann  did  everything  her  boy  lover  directed,  and  final- 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


73 


ly  stepped  out  of  the  window  on  to  the  roof  below,  and 
joined  him.  He  let  down  the  window  and  closed  the 
shutters  with  a spring  that  securely  fastened  them. 

^^That,  he  told  her,  would  certainly  give  them  a longer 
start,  for  it  would  take  an  hour  at  least  to  force  the  room 
open  and  discover  her  flight. 

^Then  they  left  the  parsonage  together. 

^^She  had  forgotten  all  about  the  parting  note  of  mal- 
ediction which  she  had  left  behind  her  on  the  stand, 
as  she  stepped  along  the  lane  leading  to  the  highway. 

^‘He  asked  her  to  take  his  arm,  and  when  they 
reached  the  public  road,  he  inquired  if  she  were  game 
for  a ten-mile  walk. 

^^She  told  him  that  she  could  walk  to  the  end  of  the 
world  with  him,  because  she  was  so  happy  to  be  beside 
the  only  one  on  earth  who  had  ever  been  kind  to  her — • 
since  her  father’s  death. 

^^Then  he  explained  the  steps  that  he  had  taken,  and 
must  still  take,  to  elude  pursuit ; how  that  he  had  gone 
to  the  railway  station  and  bought  a first-class  ticket  for 
the  four  o’clock  express  to  London,  and  afterward,  when 
the  train  came  up,  he  had  mingled  with  the  crowd  get- 
ting off  and  getting  on,  and  so  eluded  observation,  and 
had  slipped  away  and  hidden  himself  in  the  thicket  un- 
til dark,  so  as  to  make  every  one  concerned  believe  that 
he  had  gone  off  by  the  mail  train  alone  to  London. 

^^Now  he  told  her  that  they  must  trudge  straight  on 
ten  miles  north,  to  take  the  train  to  Glasgow;  so  that 


74 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


while  people  were  hunting  for  them  in  the  south,  they 
would  be  safe  in  the  north. 

“As  they  walked  on  he  told  her  that  he  wanted  to  get 
away  from  England  and  see  the  world — the  new  world 
across  the  ocean.  He  had  seen  Europe  summer  after 
summer,  traveling  with  his  father  and  mother  on  the 
Continent.  Now  he  wanted  to  see  America;  and  asked 
her  if  she  did  not  also. 

“She  told  him  that  she  wanted  to  see  every  place 
that  he  wanted  to  see,  and  to  go  everywhere  he  wanted 
to  go,  for  that  he  was  the  only  friend  she  had  in  all  the 
wide  world. 

“So  they  walked  on  for  about  three  hours,  and  then, 
about  two  o’clock  in  the  morning,  they  reached  the  little 
railway  station  of  Skelton.  They  had  to  wait  two  hours 
for  the  parliamentary  train,  which  came  heavily  puffing 
in  about  five  o’clock  on  that  November  morning. 

“Young  Whyte  took  second-class  tickets,  and  led  his 
closely  veiled  companion  to  her  seat  on  the  train.  And 
they  moved  off. 

“They  reached  Glasgow  about  ten  o’clock  the  next 
day,  and  found  that  there  was  a steamer  bound  for  New 
York,  to  sail  at  noon.  No  time  was  to  be  lost,  so  they 
both  went  to  the  agency  together,  represented  themselves 
as  a newly-married  pair,  and  engaged  the  only  state- 
room to  be  procured — which  happened  to  be  in  the  sec- 
ond cabin.  Their  tickets  were  filled  in  with  the  names 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alfred  Whyte — ^which  indeed  consti- 
tuted a legal  marriage  in  Scotland,  where  a marriage- 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


75 


able  pair  of  lovers  have  only  to  declare  themselves  man 
and  wife,  in  the  presence  of  competent  witnesses,  to 
be  as  lawfully  married  as  if  the  ceremony  had  been  per- 
formed by  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  in  his  own 
cathedral. 

^^They  took  possession  of  their  stateroom  on  the  Cal- 
edonian, which  sailed  at  noon  of  the  same  day,  and  in 
due  time  arrived  at  New  York. 

^^They  spent  two  days  at  an  uptown  hotel,  and  then 
took  the  pretty  cottage  at  Harlem,  in  which  they  lived 
for  several  months.  Ann’s  boy-husband  often  told  her 
that  she  grew  prettier  every  day,  and  he  seemed  to  grow 
fonder  of  her  every  day.  He  supplied  her  with  a nicer 
outfit  of  clothing  and  more  pocket  money  than  she  had 
ever  had  in  her  poverty-stricken  life,  and  made  her  much 
happier  every  way  than  she  had  ever  been  before,  as 
long  as  his  money  lasted. 

^^He  had  left  Eng?and  with  nearly  one  hundred 
pounds  in  his  pocket — ^the  amount  of  his  half-yearly  al- 
lowance. 

^^On  his  arrival  in  New  York  he  had  written  to  his 
father  and  confessed  his  marriage  with  his  tutor’s  step- 
daughter and  begged  forgiveness  and — remittances. 

^^Ann  declined  to  write  to  her  stepmother  or  the 
curate,  declaring  that  she  preferred  that  they  should  be- 
lieve that  she  had  been  driven  by  their  cruelty  to  bury 
herself  in  the  quicksands,  and  that  they  should  suffer  all 
the  remorse  of  conscience  and  reprobation  of  society 
that  their  conduct  toward  her  deserved. 


76 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


^^But  weeks  passed  on,  and  no  letter  filled  with  bless- 
ings and  bank  notes  came  from  the  offended  and  obdu- 
rate father,  though  the  boy  constantly  assured  his  girl- 
wife  that  the  expected  epistle  would  surely  come  in  time, 
for  he  was  the  ^old  man^s^  only  son,  whom  he  would 
not  be  likely  to  discard. 

^^Meanwhile  their  money  was  running  low.  The  youth 
was  anxious  to  travel  and  see  the  new  world,  and  to 
take  his  bride  with  him,  but  he  could  not  do  so  without 
funds.  At  the  end  of  six  weeks  after  he  had  written  the 
first  letter  to  his  father  he  wrote  a second,  but  received 
no  answer;  later  still  he  wrote  a third,  with  no  better 
success. 

^^They  had  gone  a little  into  debt,  in  order  to  eke  out 
their  little  ready  money  until  the  longed-for  letters  of 
credit  should  come  from  England ; but  at  the  end  of  six 
months  credit  and  cash  were  nearly  exhausted. 

^^One  morning  in  May  the  boy-husband  took  leave  of 
the  girl-wife,  saying,  as  he  kissed  her  good-by,  that  he 
was  going  down  into  the  city  to  see  if  he  could  get  some 
work  to  do. 

^^Without  the  least  misgiving,  she  received  his  fare- 
well kiss,  and  saw  him  depart — watched  him  all  the  way 
do^vn  the  street,  until  he  got  to  Second  Avenue  and 
boarded  a downtown  car. 

^^Then  she  re-entered  the  little  gate,  and  began  to 
tend  the  jonquils  and  hyacinths  that  were  just  coming 
into  bloom  in  her  little  flower  garden.  She  did  not  ex- 
pect to  see  him  until  night,  nor — did  she  see  him  even 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


n 

then.  When  the  little  gate  opened  at  eight  o’clock  and 
a man  came  np  the  walk  leading  to  the  front  door  at 
which  she  stood^  he  was  not  her  husband,  but  the  letter 
carrier,  who  put  a letter  in  her  hand  and  went  away. 

^^She  ran  into  the  house,  and  lighted  the  gas  to  read 
her  letter.  Though  it  gave  her  a shock,  it  did  not  shake 
her  faith  in  her  boy. 

^^The  letter  told  her,  in  effect,  that  Alfred  Whyte, 
when  he  left  her  that  morning,  had  started  to  go  to  Eng- 
land in  the  only  way  by  which  he  could  get  there — that 
is,  by  working  his  passage  as  a deck  hand  on  board  an 
outward-bound  ship ; that  he  had  decided  on  this  course 
so  as  to  get  a personal  interview  with  his  father,  to 
whom  he  would  go  as  a penitent  prodigal  son;  for  he 
was  sure  of  obtaining  by  this  means  forgiveness,  and  as- 
sistance that  would  enable  him  to  return  and  bring  his 
little  wife  back  to  England,  where  they  would  thence- 
forth live  in  comfort  and  luxury ; that  the  reason  he  had 
not  confided  to  her  his  intention  of  making  the  voyage 
was  because  he  dreaded  opposition  from  her  that  might 
have  led  him  to  abandon  the  one  plan  by  which  he 
hoped  to  better  their  condition. 

^^He  concluded  by  entreating  her  not  to  think  for  one 
instant  that  he  intended  to  desert  her,  who  was  dearer 
to  him  than  his  own  life,  but  to  trust  in  him  as  he  trust- 
ed in  her.  In  a postscript  he  told  her  where  to  find  the 
small  balance  of  money  they  had  left,  as  he  had  only 
taken  enough  for  his  car  fare  to  the  city.  In  a second 
postscript  he  promised  to  write  by  every  opportunity. 


78  AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

In  a third  and  last  postscript  he  begged  her  to  keep  up 
her  heart. 

‘Tt  seemed  a frank  letter,  yet  it  was  reticent  upon 
one  point — the  name  of  the  ship  on  which  he  had  sailed. 
This  omission  might  have  been  accidental.  It  cer- 
tainly did  not  raise  any  doubt  of  the  boy’s  good  faith  in 
the  mind  of  the  girl. 

‘‘She  cried  a great  deal  over  the  separation  from  her 
lad,  and  she  made  a confidante  of  the  elderly  Irishwo- 
man who  was  her  sole  servant. 

“After  two  weeks,  Ann  began  to  watch  daily  for  the 
letter  carrier,  in  hope  of  getting  a letter  from  Alfred; 
but  day  after  day,  week  after  week,  passed  and  none 
came.  But  there  came  news  of  the  wreck  of  the  Por- 
poise, which  had  sailed  from  New  York  for  London  on 
the  very  day  that  Alfred  Whyte  had  left  the  country — 
and  which  had  gone  down  in  a storm  in  mid  ocean  with 
all  on  board. 

“But  as  numerous  ships  had  left  New  York  on  that 
day  bound  for  various  British  ports,  it  was  impossible 
to  discover  whether  the  boy  was  on  board  or  if  he 
shipped  under  his  own  name  or  an  assumed  one. 

“Ann  cried  more  than  ever  for  a few  days,  but  then 
seemed  to  give  up  her  lad  for  lost,  and  to  resign  herself 
to  the  ‘inevitable.’ 

“She  wrote  to  Mr.  Alfred  Whyte,  Senior,  but  got  no 
reply  to  her  letter;  again  and  again  she  wrote  with  no 
better  success.  The  little  balance  of  money  left  by  her 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  79 

boy-hnsband  was  all  gone.  She  began  to  sell  off  the 
trifles  of  jewelry  that  he  had  given  her. 

^Une  morning  the  letter  carrier  left  a letter  with  a 
London  postmark  containing  a bill  of  exchange  for  a 
hundred  pounds,  and  not  one  word  besides. 

^^Had  it  come  from  her  boy-husband  or  from  his 
father?  She  could  not  tell. 

^^Well,  to  be  brief,  she  never  saw  nor  heard  of  him 
again.  She  lived  comfortably  with  her  motherly  old 
servant,  enjoyed  life  thoroughly  and  grew  more  beauti- 
ful every  day,  and  this  fooFs  paradise  lasted  as  long  as 
her  money  did.  Before  her  last  dollar  was  gone,  she 
saw  the  advertisement  in  the  Pursuivant  for  a nursery 
governess,  and  answered  it,  as  has  been  told. 

^This,  my  dear  Cora,  is  the  substance  of  the  story 
told  me  by  Ann  White  on  the  day  that  I called  on  her  in 
answer  to  her  letter.  What  do  you  think  of  it?’’  in- 
quired Mr.  Eabian,  when  he  had  finished  his  narrative. 

think  the  cruel  neglect  of  her  stepparents  and  the 
sufferings  of  her  childhood  accountable  for  all  her  faults 
and  I feel  very  sorry  for  her,  notwithstanding  that  she 
seems  to  be  a very  heartless  animal,”  replied  Corona. 

^^That  is  the  secret  of  the  wonderful  preservation  of 
her  youth  and  beauty  even  up  to  this  present  time. 
Nothing  wears  a woman  out  as  fast  as  her  own  heart.” 

^^You  engaged  her  as  you  promised  to  do,  but  why 
did  you  introduce  her  at  Eockhold  as  a single  girl,  and 
why  under  an  alias?”  gravely  inquired  Corona. 

introduced  her  as  a single  girl  at  her  own  request 


80 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


because  of  her  extreme  youth  and  her  timidity.  She 
naturally  shrank  from  being  known  as  a discarded  wife 
or  a doubtful  widow.  Besides,  I never  did  say  she  was 
a single  girl.  I merely  presented  her  as  Rose  Blowers, 
and  left  it  to  be  inferred  from  her  baby  face  that  she 
was  so.” 

“But  why  Rose  Blowers  when  her  name  was  Ann 
White?” 

“What  a cross-questioner  you  are.  Corona ! but  I will 
answer  you.  Again  it  was  by  her  own  desire  that  I pre- 
sented her  as  Rose  Blowers,  which  was  not  an  alias,  as 
she  explained  to  me,  but  a part  of  her  true  name.  She 
had  been  baptized  as  Rose  Anna  Blowers,  which  was 
the  maiden  name  of  her  grandmother,  her  father’s 
mother.” 

Cora  might  have  asked  another  question,  not  so  eas- 
ily answered,  if  she  had  known  the  circumstances  to 
which  it  related,  namely:  why  Mr.  Bahian  had  fabrica- 
ted that  false  story  of  the  young  governess  which  he 
palmed  upon  his  parents ; but,  in  fact,  Cora,  at  that  time 
a child  seven  years  old,  had  never  heard  of  it.  But  she 
made  another  inquiry. 

“What  became  of  Rose  Blowers  after  she  left  us? 
Did  she  really  go  to  another  place  ? Who  was — Captain 
Stillwater  ?” 

Mr.  Babian  drove  slowly  and  thoughtfully  on  with- 
out answering  her  question  until  she  had  repeated  it. 
Then  he  said: 

“Cora,  my  dear,  that  is  a story  I cannot  tell  you.  Let 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


81 


it  be  enough  for  me  to  say,  the  Stillwater  episode  in  the 
life  of  this  lady  is  the  ground  upon  which  I forbid  my 
wife  to  visit  her  and  object  to  my  niece  associating  with 
her.’^ 

‘^Does  Violet  know  the  Stillwater  story?’’ 

^^No;  not  so  much  of  it  even  as  you  have  heard.  Now, 
look  here,  Cora,  you  think  it  inconsistent  perhaps  that  I 
should  have  brought  this  woman  to  Rockland  years  ago 
to  become  your  governess,  and  now,  when  she  is  my 
father’s  wife,  object  to  your  intimacy  with  her.  In  the 
first  instance  she  has  been  far,  very  far,  ^more  sinned 
against  than  sinning’;  she  had  been  very  imprudent, 
that  was  all.  She  was  really  the  wife,  by  Scotch  law,  of 
the  boy  she  ran  away  with  and  then  lost.  I saw  nothing 
in  her  case  that  ought  to  prevent  her  entrance  into  a re- 
spectable family,  and  Heaven  knows  I pitied  her  and 
tried  to  save  her  by  bringing  her  to  Eockhold.  I saved 
her  only  for  a few  years.  After  she  left  us — ^biit  there, 
I cannot  tell  you  that  story ! You  must  not  be  intimate 
with  her.” 

^^Yet  she  is  my  grandfather’s  wife !” 

^^An  irreparable  misfortune.  I can’t  expose  her  life 
to  him ; such  a blow  to  his  pride  might  be  his  death,  at 
his  age.  No!  events  must  take  their  course;  but  I 
hope  he  will  not  take  her  to  any  place  where  she  is  like- 
ly to  be  recognized.  Nor  do  I think  he  will.  He  is 
aging  fast,  and  will  be  likely  to  live  quietly  at  Eock- 
hold.” 

‘^And  I think  she  also  would  avoid  such  risks.  She 


82 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

was  terribly  frightened  when  she  recognized  the  Dean 
of  Olivet.  Was  he  really  her  stepfather,  the  once  poor 
curate 

^^Yes.  You  see,  while  they  were  lionizing  him  in  the 
Eastern  cities,  his  portrait,  with  a short  biographical 
notice,  was  published  in  one  of  the  illustrated  weeklies, 
where  I read  of  him,  and  identified  him  by  comparing 
notes  with  what  I had  heard.’’ 

^^How  came  he  to  rise  so  high  ?” 

^Uh,  he  was  a learned  divine  and  eloquent  orator. 
He  was  well  connected,  too.  It  would  seem  that  a very 
few  months  after  his  stepdaughter’s  fiight  he  was  in- 
ducted into  that  rich  living  for  which  he  had  been  wait- 
ing so  many  years.  From  that  position  his  rise  was 
slow  indeed,  covering  a period  of  twenty  years,  until 
a few  months  ago,  when  he  was  made  Dean  of  Olivet.” 

^^To  think  that  a man  capable  of  quarreling  with  his 
wife,  and  ill-using  their  stepchild  should  fill  so  sacred  a 
position  in  the  church !”  exclaimed  Cora. 

^^Yes ; but  you  see,  my  dear,  the  church  is  his  profes- 
sion, not  his  vocation.  He  is  a brilliant  pulpit  orator, 
with  influential  friends ; but  every  brilliant  pulpit  ora- 
tor is  not  necessarily  a saint.  And  as  for  his  quarreling 
with  his  wife  and  ill-using  their  stepdaughter,  we  have 
heard  but  one  side  of  that  story.” 

When  they  entered  the  Rockhold  drawing  room  they 
found  Mrs.  Eockharrt  alone.  She  arose  and  came  for- 
ward and  received  them  with  a smile. 

^^Your  grandfather,  my  dear,”  she  explained  to  Cora, 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


83 


^^came  home  later  than  usual  from  North  End,  and  very 
much  more  than  usually  fatigued.  Immediately  after 
dinner  he  lay  down  and  I left  him  asleep.’’ 

‘ Where  is  Uncle  Clarence  ?”  inquired  Corona. 

“He  remains  at  the  works  for  the  night.  Will  you 
have  this  chair,  love  ?”  said  Rose,  pulling  forward  a lux- 
urious “sleepy  hollow.” 

“No,  thank  you.  I must  go  to  my  room  and  change 
my  dress.  Will  you  excuse  me  for  half  an  hour.  Uncle 
Fabian?”  inquired  Cora. 

“Most  willingly,  my  dear,”  replied  Mr.  Fabian,  with 
a very  pleased  look.  Cora  left  the  room. 

“I  will  go  with  you,”  exclaimed  Rose,  turning  pale 
and  starting  up  to  follow  the  young  lady. 

“No.  You  will  not,”  said  Mr.  Fabian,  in  a tone  of 
authority,  as  he  laid  his  hand  heavily  on  the  woman’s 
shoulder.  “Sit  down.  I have  something  to  say  to 
you.” 


CHAPTER  VI 


FABIAN  AND  BOSE 

‘‘What  do  you  mean  ?” 

“I  should  rather  ask  what  do  you  mean,  or  rather 
what  did  you  mean,  by  daring  to  marry  any  honest  man, 
and  of  all  men — Aaron  Eockharrt  ? It  was  the  most  au- 
dacious challenging  of  destruction  that  the  most  reck- 
less desperado  could  venture  upon.”  Eabian  Eockharrt 
continued  mercilessly: 

“Do  you  not  know  what,  if  Mr.  Eockharrt  were  to 
discover  the  deception  you  put  upon  him,  he  might  do 
and  think  himself  justified  in  doing  to  you  ?” 

Rose  shuddered  in  silence. 

“The  very  least  that  he  would  do  would  be  to  turn  you 
out  of  his  house,  without  a dollar,  and  shut  his  doors 
on  you  forever.  Then  what  would  become  of  you  ? Who 
would  take  you  in?” 

“Oh,  Fabian!”  she  screamed  at  last.  “Do  not  talk 
to  me  so.  You  will  frighten  me  into  hysterics.” 

“How  don’t  make  a noise.  For  if  you  do,  you  will 
precipitate  the  catastrophe  that  you  fear.  Be  quiet,  I 
beg  you,”  said  Mr.  Fabian,  composedly,  putting  his 
thumbs  in  his  vest  pockets  and  leaning  back. 

84 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


85 


^^Why  do  you  say  such  cruel  things  to  me,  then? 
Such  inconsistent  things,  too.  If  I was  good  enough  to 
marry  you,  I was  good  enough  to  marry  your  father.’^ 

^^But  you  were  never  good  enough  to  marry  either  of 
us,  my  dear.  If  you  will  take  a little  time  to  reflect  on 
your  antecedents,  you  will  acknowledge  that  you  were 
not  quite  good  enough  to  marry  any  honest  man,’^  said 
Mr.  Fabian,  coolly. 

^^Yet  you  asked  me  to  marry  you,’’  she  said,  sobbing 
softly,  with  her  handkerchief  to  her  eyes. 

^^Beg  pardon,  my  dear.  I think  the  asking  was  rather 
on  the  other  side.  You  were  very  urgent  that  we  should 
be  married,  and  that  our  betrothal  should  be  formally 
announced.” 

‘^Yes;  because  you  led  me  to  believe  that  you  were 
going  to  marry  me.” 

‘^Excuse  me.  I never  led  you  to  believe  so,  simply 
allowed  you  to  believe  so.  What  could  a gentleman  do 
under  the  circumstances?  He  couldn’t  contradict  a 
lady.” 

^^Oh,  what  a prevarication,  Fabian  Eockharrt,  when 
every  word,  every  deed,  every  look  you  bestowed  on 
me  went  to  assure  me  that  you  loved  me  and  wished  to 
marry  me !” 

^^Softly,  my  dear.  Softly.  I was  sorry  for  you  and 
generous  to  you.  I gave  you  the  use  of  a pretty  little 
house  and  a sufficient  income  during  good  behavior.  But 
you  were  ungrateful  to  me,  Rose.  You  were  unkind  to 


86 


'AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


“I  was  not.  I would  have  married  you.  I could  not 
have  done  more  than  that.” 

“But,  my  dear,  your  good  sense  must  have  told  you 
that  I could  not  marry  you.  I have  done  the  best  I could 
by  you  always.  Twice  I rescued  you  from  ruin.  Once 
when  you  were  but  little  more  than  a child,  and  your 
boy-lover,  or  husband,  had  left  you  alone,  a young 
stranger  in  a strange  land — a girl  friendless,  penniless, 
beautiful,  and  so  in  deadly  peril  of  perdition,  I took  you 
on  your  own  representation,  and  introduced  you  into 
my  own  family  as  the  governess  of  my  niece.  I became 
responsible  for  you.” 

“And  did  I not  try  my  best  to  please  everybody?” 
sobbed  the  woman. 

“That  you  did,”  heartily  responded  Mr.  Fabian.  “And 
everybody  loved  you.  So  that,  at  the  end  of  five  years’ 
service,  when  my  niece  was  to  enter  a finishing  school, 
and  you  were  to  go  to  another  situation,  you  took  with 
you  the  best  testimonials  from  my  father  and  mother 
and  from  the  minister  of  our  parish.  But  you  did  not 
keep  your  second  situation  long.” 

“How  could  I ? I was  but  half  taught.  The  Warrens 
would  have  had  me  teach  their  children  French  and  Ger- 
man, and  music  on  the  harp  and  the  piano.  I knew  no 
language  but  my  o^vn,  and  no  music  except  that  of  the 
piano,  which  the  dear,  gentle  lady,  your  mother,  taught 
me  out  of  the  kindness  of  her  heart.  I was  told  that  I 
must  leave  at  the  end  of  the  term.  And  my  term  was 
nearly  out  when  Captain  Stillwater  became  a daily 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


8T 


visitor  to  the  house,  and  I saw  him  every  evening.  He 
was  a tall,  handsome  man,  with  a dark  complexion  and 
black  hair  and  beard.  And  I always  did  admire  that 
sort  of  a man.  Indeed,  that  was  the  reason  why  I always 
admired  you.” 

^^Don’t  attempt  to  flatter  me.” 

am  not  flattering  anybody.  I am  telling  you  why  I 
liked  Captain  Stillwater.  And  he  was  always  so  good 
to  me ! I told  him  all  my  troubles.  And  he  sympa- 
thized with  me ! And  when  I told  him  that  I should  be 
obliged  to  leave  my  situation  at  the  end  of  the  quarter, 
he  bade  me  never  mind.  And  he  asked  me  to  be  his  wife. 
I did  consent  to  be  his  wife.  I was  glad  of  the  chance 
to  get  a husband  and  a home.  So  all  was  arranged.  He 
advised  me  not  to  tell  the  Warrens  that  we  were  to  be 
married,  however.  So  at  the  end  of  my  quarter  I went 
away  to  a hotel,  where  Captain  Stillwater  came  for  me 
and  took  me  away  to  the  church  where  we  were  mar- 
ried.” 

^^You  had  no  knowledge  that  Alfred  Whyte  was  dead, 
and  that  you  were  free  to  wed !” 

^^He  had  been  lost  seven  years  and  was  as  good  as 
dead  to  me ! Besides,  when  a man  is  missing  and  has 
not  been  heard  of  for  seven  years,  his  wife  is  free  to 
marry  again,  is  she  not  ?” 

^^No.  She  has  good  grounds  for  a divorce,  that  is 
all!  To  risk  a second  marriage  without  these  legal 
formalities,  would  be  dangerous ! Might  be  disastrous ! 
The  first  husband  might  turn  up  and  make  trouble!” 


88 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


‘T  did  not  know  that!  But,  after  all,  as  it  turned 
out,  it  did  not  matter !”  sighed  Rose. 

“Not  in  the  least!”  assented  Mr.  Fabian,  amiably. 

“After  all,  it  was  not  my  fault!  I married  him  in 
good  faith ; I did,  indeed !” 

“Did  you  tell  him  of  your  previous  marriage  ? That 
is  what  you  have  not  told  me  yet !” 

“N-n-no;  I was  afraid  if  I did  he  might  break  off 
with  me.” 

“Ah!” 

“And  I was  in  such  extremity  for  the  want  of  a 
home.” 

“Had  not  my  father  and  mother  told  you  that  if  ever 
you  should  find  yourself  out  of  a situation,  you  should 
come  to  them?  Why  did  you  not  take  them  at  their 
word  ? They  had  always  been  very  kind  to  you,  and 
they  would  have  given  you  a warm  welcome  and  a 
happy  home.  Now,  why  need  you  have  rushed  into  a 
reckless  marriage  for  a home  ?” 

“Oh,  Fabian!”  she  exclaimed,  impatiently,  “don’t 
pretend  to  talk  like  an  idiot,  for  you  are  not  one ! Don’t 
talk  to  me  as  if  I were  a wax  doll  or  a wooden  woman, 
for  you  know  I am  not  one !” 

“I  am  sure  I do  not  know  what  you  mean !” 

“Well,  then,  I loved  the  man ! There,  it  is  out ! I 
loved  him  more  than  I ever  loved  any  one  else  in  the 
whole  world ! And  I was  afraid  of  losing  him !” 

“And  so  it  was  because  you  loved  him  so  well  that 
you  deceived  him  so  much !” 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


89 


^^Didn’t  he  deceive  me  much  more  V’ 

^^There  were  a pair  of  you — ^well  matched ! So  well, 
it  seems  a pity  that  you  were  parted 

^^Oh,  how  very  unkind  you  are  to  me !” 

^^Not  yet  unkind ! Only  waiting  to  see  how  you  are 
going  to  behave!’^ 

have  never  behaved  badly ! I was  not  wicked ; I 
was  unhappy ! Unhappy  from  my  birth,  almost ! I had 
no  evil  designs  against  anybody.  I only  wanted  to  be 
happy  and  to  see  people  happy.  I honestly  believed 
I was  lawfully  married  to  Captain  Stillwater.  He  took 
me  to  the  Wirt  House  and  registered  our  names  as  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Stillwater.  And  we  were  very  happy  until 
his  ship  sailed.  He  gave  me  plenty  of  money  before 
he  went  away ; but  I was  heartbroken  to  part  with  him, 
and  could  take  no  pleasure  in  anything  until  I got  a 
little  used  to  his  absence.’’ 

think  you  told  me  that  you  met  him  once  more 
before  your  final  separation.  When  was  that  meeting  ? 
Eh  ?” 

^Tabian  Rockharrt,  are  you  trying  to  catch  me  in  a 
falsehood  ? You  know  very  well  that  I never  told  you 
anything  of  the  sort.  I told  you  that  I never  saw  him 
again  after  he  sailed  away  that  autumn  day ! I waited 
all  the  autumn  and  heard  nothing  from  him.  I wrote  to 
him  often,  but  none  of  my  letters  were  answered.  At 
length  I longed  so  much  to  see  him  that  I grew  wild  and 
reckless  and  resolved  to  follow  him.  I took  passage  in 
the  second  cabin  of  the  Africa  and  sailed  for  Liverpool, 


90  AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

where  I arrived  about  the  middle  of  December.  I went 
to  the  agency  of  the  Blue  Star  Line,  to  which  his  ship 
belonged,  and  inquired  where  he  was  to  be  found.  They 
told  me  he  had  sailed  for  Calcutta  and  had  taken  his 
wife  with  him!  It  turned  me  to  stone — ^to  stone,  Fa- 
bian— almost ! I remember  I sat  down  on  a bench  and 
felt  numb  and  cold.  And  then  I asked  how  long  he  had 
been  married — ^hoping,  if  it  was  true,  that  my  own  was 
the  first  and  the  lawful  union.  They  told  me,  for  ten 
years,  but  as  they  had  no  family,  his  wife  usually  ac- 
companied him  on  all  his  voyages.  So  she  had  now 
gone  with  him  to  Calcutta.” 

“I  suspect  the  people  in  that  office  were  pretty  well 
acquainted  with  the  handsome  skipper’s  Vays  and  man- 
ners,’ and  that  they  understood  your  case  at  once.” 

“I  do  really  believe  they  did,”  said  Rose;  “for  they 
looked  at  me  so  strangely,  and  one  man,  who  seemed  to 
be  a porter  or  a messenger,  or  something  of  that  sort, 
said  something  about  a sailor  having  a wife  at  every 
port.” 

“So,  after  that  you  came  back  to  New  York,  and 
did,  at  last,  what  you  should  have  done  at  first — ^you 
wrote  to  me.” 

“There  was  no  one  on  earth  to  whom,  under  the  pe- 
culiar circumstances,  I could  have  written  but  to  you. 
Oh,  Fabian ! to  whom  else  could  I appeal  ?” 

“And  did  I not  respond  promptly  to  your  call  ?” 

“Indeed  you  did,  like  a true  knight,  as  you  were. 
And  I did  not  deceive  you  by  any  false  story,  Fabian. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


91 


I told  you  all — everything — how  basely  I had  been  de- 
ceived— and  you  soothed  and  consoled  me,  and  told  me 
that,  as  I had  not  sinned  intentionally,  I had  not  sinned 
at  all ; and  you  brought  me  with  you  to  the  State  capi- 
tal, and  established  me  comfortably  there/^ 

^^But  you  were  very  ungrateful,  my  dear.  You  took 
everything;  gave  nothing/^ 

would  have  given  you  myself  in  marriage,  but  you 
would  not  have  me.  You  did  not  think  me  good  enough 
for  you.’’ 

^^But,  bless  my  wig,  child ! for  your  age  you  had  been 
too  much  married  already — a great  deal  too  much  mar- 
ried ! You  had  got  into  the  habit  of  getting  married.” 

^^Oh!  how  merciless  you  are  to  me!”  Rose  said,  be- 
ginning to  weep. 

^^No;  I am  not.  I have  never  been  unkind  to  you 
— as  yet.  I don’t  know  what  I may  be ! My  course  to- 
ward you  will  depend  very  much  upon  yourself.  Have 
I not  always  hitherto  been  your  best  friend  ? Ungrate- 
ful, unresponsive  though  you  were  at  that  time,  did  I not 
procure  for  you  an  invitation  from  my  mother  to  ac- 
company her  party  on  that  long,  delightful  summer 
trip  ?” 

had  an  impression  at  the  time  that  I owed  the  in- 
vitation to  you  father,  who  suggested  to  your  mother 
to  write  and  ask  me  to  accompany  them.” 

Mr.  Eabian  looked  surprised  and  said — for  he  never 
hesitated  to  tell  a fib: 

^^Oh ! that  was  quite  a mistake.  It  was  I myself  who 


92 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

suggested  the  invitation.  I thought  it  would  be  agree- 
able to  you.  Was  it  not  I myself  who  sent  you  forward 
in  advance  to  the  Wirt  House,  Baltimore,  there  to  await 
the  arrival  of  our  party,  and  join  us  in  our  summer  trav- 
el ? And  didn’t  you  have  a long,  delightful  tour  with 
us  through  the  most  sublime  scenery  in  the  most  salu- 
brious climates  on  earth  ? Didn’t  you  return  a perfect 
Hebe  in  health  and  bloom  ?” 

'T  acknowledge  all  that.  I acknowledge  all  my  ob- 
ligations to  your  family ; but  at  the  same  time  I declare 
that  I also  did  my  part.  I was  as  a white  slave  to  your 
parents.  I was  lady’s  maid  to  your  mother,  foot  boy  to 
your  father.  I don’t  know,  indeed,  what  the  old  people 
would  have  done  without  me,  for  no  hired  servant  could 
have  served  them  as  faithfully  as  I did.” 

^Uh,  yes;  you  were  grateful  and  devoted  to  all  the 
family  except  to  me,  your  best  friend — ^to  me,  who  gave 
you  the  use  of  a lovely  home,  and  a liberal  income,  and 
a faithful  friendship ; and  then  trusted  in  your  sense  of 
justice  for  my  reward.” 

^^1  would  have  given  you  all  I possessed  in  the  world 
— ^my  own  poor  self  in  marriage — and  you  led  me  on  to 
believe  that  you  wished  to  marry  me,  but,  finally,  you 
would  not  have  me.  You  went  off  and  married  another 
woman.” 

‘^Bah ! we  are  talking  around  in  a circle,  and  getting 
back  to  where  we  began.  Let  us  come  to  the  point.” 

^^Very  well;  come  to  the  point,”  said  Rose,  sulkily. 

^^Listen,  then : It  is  not  for  your  reckless  elopement 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


93 


with  your  stepfather’s  pupil,  when  you  were  driven 
from  home  by  cruelty ; it  is  not  for  your  false  marriage 
with  Stillwater,  when  you  yourself  were  deceived;  but 
because  with  all  these  antecedents  against  you — ante- 
cedents which  constituted  you,  however  unjustly,  a pa- 
riah, who  should  have  lived  quietly  and  obscurely,  but 
who,  instead  of  doing  so,  took  advantage  of  kindness 
shown  her,  and  betrayed  the  family  who  sheltered  her 
by  luring  into  a disgraceful  marriage  its  revered  father, 
and  bringing  to  deep  dishonor  the  gray  head  of  Aaron 
Rockharrt,  a man  of  stern  integrity  and  unblemished 
reputation — ^you  should  be  denounced  and  punished.” 

^^Oh,  Fabian,  have  mercy!  have  mercy!  You  would 
not  now,  after  years  of  friendship,  you  would  not  now 
ruin  me?” 

'^Listen  to  me ! You  checkmated  me  in  that  matter 
of  the  cottage  and  the  income.  Yes,  simple  as  you  seem, 
and  sharp  as  I may  appear,  you  certainly  managed  to 
take  all  and  give  nothing.  And  when  you  found  out 
that  you  could  not  take  my  hand  and  my  name,  you 
waylaid  me  at  the  railway  station,  when  I was  on  my 
wedding  tour,  and  you  swore  to  be  revenged.  I laughed 
at  you.  I advised  you  to  be  anything  rather  than  dra- 
matic. I never  imagined  the  possibility  of  your  threat- 
ened revenge  taking  the  form  of  your  marriage.  Well, 
my  dear,  you  have  your  revenge,  I admit ; but  in  your 
blindness,  you  could  not  see  that  revenge  itself  might 
be  met  by  retribution!  One  man  kills  another  for  re- 


94 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


venge,  and  does  not,  in  his  blind  fury,  see  the  gallows 
looming  in  the  distance/^ 

^^What  do  you  mean  ? You  cannot  hang  me  for  mar- 
rying your  father/^  exclaimed  Rose. 

^^No;  don’t  raise  your  voice,  or  you  may  be  heard. 
No,  Rose,  I cannot  hang  you  for  treachery;  but,  my 
dear,  there  are  worse  fates  than  neat  and  tidy  hanging, 
which  is  over  in  a few  minutes.  I could  expose  your 
past  life  to  my  father.  You  know  him,  and  you  know 
that  he  would  show  no  ruth,  no  mercy  to  deception  and 
treachery  such  as  yours.  You  know  that  he  would  turn 
you  out  of  the  house  without  money  or  character,  desti- 
tute and  degraded.  What  then  would  be  your  fate  at 
your  age — a fading  rose  past  thirty-seven  years  old? 
Sooner  or  later,  and  very  little  later,  the  poorhouse  or 
the  hospital.  Better  a sweet,  tidy  little  hanging  and  be 
done  with  it,  if  possible.” 

^^You  are  a fiend  to  talk  to  me  so!  a fiend!  Fabian 
Rockharrt,”  exclaimed  Rose,  bursting  into  hysterical 
sobs  and  tears. 

^^Now  be  quiet,  my  child;  you’ll  raise  the  house,  and 
then  there  will  be  an  explosion.” 

don’t  care  if  there  will  be.  You  are  cruel,  savage, 
barbarous ! I never  meant  to  do  any  harm  by  marrying 
Mr.  Rockharrt.  I never  meant  to  be  revenged  on  you 
or  anybody.  I only  said  so  because  I was  so  excited  by 
your  desertion  of  me.  I married  the  old  gentleman  for 
a refuge  from  the  world.  I meant  to  do  my  duty  by 
him,  though  he  is  as  cross  as  a bear  with  a bruised  head. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


95 


But  do  your  worst;  I don’t  care.  I would  just  as  lief 
die  as  live.  I am  tired  of  trying  to  be  good ; tired  of 
trying  to  please  people;  tired,  oh,  very  tired,  of  liv- 
ing !” 

^^Come,  come,”  said  soft-hearted  Mr.  Fabian;  ^^none 
of  that  nonsense.  Place  yourself  in  my  hands,  to  be 
guided  by  me  and  to  work  for  my  interests,  and  none  of 
these  evils  shall  happen  to  you.  You  shall  live  and  die 
in  wealth  and  luxury,  my  father’s  honored  wife,  the 
mistress  of  Eockhold.” 

He  spoke  slowly,  tenderly,  caressingly,  and  as  she 
listened  to  him  her  sobs  and  tears  subsided  and  she  grew 
calmer. 

^^What  is  it  you  want  me  to  do  for  you  ? What  can  I 
do  for  you,  indeed,  powerless  as  I am  ?”  she  inquired  at 
last. 

^^You  must  use  all  your  influence  with  my  father  in 
my  interests,  and  use  it  discreetly  and  perseveringly,” 
he  whispered. 

^^But  I have  no  influence.  Never  was  the  young  wife 
of  an  old  man — and  I am  young  in  comparison  to  him — 
treated  so  harshly.  I am  not  his  pet,  I am  his  slave !” 
she  complained. 

^^But  you  must  obtain  influence  over  him.  You  can 
do  that.  You  are  with  him  night  and  day  when  he  is 
not  at  his  business.  You  are  his  shadow — beg  pardon,  I 
ought  to  have  said  his  sunshine.” 
am  his  slave,  I tell  you.” 

^^Then  be  his  humble,  submissive,  obedient  slave ; be- 


96 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


tray  no  disappointment,  discontent  or  impatience  at 
your  lot.  The  harsher  he  is,  the  humbler  must  you  be ; 
the  more  despotic  he  becomes,  the  more  subservient  you 
must  seem.  Make  yourself  so  perfectly  complying  in 
all  his  moods  that  he  shall  believe  you  to  be  the  very 
^perfect  rose  of  v^omanhood,’  more  excellent  even  than 
he  thought  when  he  married  you,  and  so  as  he  grows 
older  and  weaker  in  mind  as  well  as  body  you  will  gain 
not  only  influence  but  ascendency  over  him,  and  these 
you  must  use  in  my  interest.’^ 

^^But  how  ? I don’t  understand.” 

^Tay  attention,  then,  and  you  will  understand.  Mr. 
Eockharrt  is  aged.  In  the  course  of  nature  he  must 
soon  pass  away.  He  has  made  no  will.  Should  he  die 
intestate,  the  whole  property,  by  the  laws  of  this  com- 
monwealth, would  fall  to  pieces ; that  is  to  say,  it  would 
be  divided  into  three  parts — one-third  would  go  to 
you ” 

Rose  started,  caught  her  breath,  and  stared  at  the 
speaker ; the  greed  of  gain  dilating  her  great  blue  eyes. 
The  third  of  the  Eockharrts’  fabulous  wealth  to  be  hers 
at  her  husband’s  death ! Amazing ! How  many  millions 
or  tens  of  millions  would  that  be?  Incredible!  And 
all  for  her,  and  she  with,  perhaps,  half  a century  of  life 
to  live  and  enjoy  it ! What  a vista ! 

“Why  do  you  stare  at  me  so  ?”  demanded  Mr.  Fabian. 

“Because  I was  so  surprised.  That  is  not  the  law  in 
England.  In  England  there  are  usually  what  are  called 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


marriage  settlements,  which  make  a suitable  provision 
for  the  wife,  but  leave  the  bulk  of  the  property  to  go  to 
the  children — generally  to  the  oldest  son.’^ 

^^And  such  should  be  the  law  here,  but  it  isn’t ; and 
so  if  my  father  should  die  without  having  made  a will, 
the  great  estate  would  break,  as  I said,  into  three  parts 
— one  part  would  be  yours,  the  other  two  parts  would 
be  divided  into  three  shares,  to  me,  to  my  brother,  and 
to  the  heirs  of  my  sister.  The  business  at  North  End 
would  probably  be  carried  on  by  Aaron  Rockharrt’s 
sons.” 

^^But  would  not  that  be  equitable?”  inquired  Rose, 
who  had  no  mind  to  have  her  third  interfered  with. 

^Tt  would  not  be  expedient,  nor  is  such  a disposition 
of  his  property  the  intention  of  Aaron  Eockharrt.  I 
know,  from  what  he  has  occasionally  hinted,  that  he 
means  to  bequeath  the  Great  North  End  Works  to  me 
and  my  brother  Clarence,  share  and  share  alike ; but  he 
puts  off  making  this  will,  which  indeed  must  never  be 
made.  The  North  End  Works  should  not  be  a monster 
with  two  heads,  but  a colossus  with  one  head — with  my 
head.  So  that  I wish  my  father  to  make  a will  leaving 
the  North  End  Works  to  me  exclusively — to  me  alone 
as  the  one  head.” 

think  if  I dared  to  suggest  such  a thing  to  him, 
he  would  take  off  my  head !”  said  Rose,  with  grim 
humor. 

think  he  would  if  you  should  do  so  suddenly  or 
clumsily.  But  you  must  insinuate  the  idea  very  slowly 


98 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


and  subtlely.  Clarence  is  not  for  the  works;  Clarence 
is  too  good  for  this  world — at  least  for  the  business  of 
this  world.  I think  him  half  an  imbecile ! My  father 
does  not  hesitate  to  call  him  a perfect  idiot.  Do  you  be- 
gin to  see  your  way  now  ? Clarence  can  be  moderately 
provided  for,  but  should  have  no  share  in  the  North 
End  Works.’^ 

‘^The  North  End  Works  to  be  left  to  you  solely; 
Clarence  to  be  moderately  provided  for;  and  what  of 
the  two  children  of  the  late  Mrs.  Haught 

^Dh!  my  father  never  intends  to  leave  them  more 
than  a modest  legacy.  They  have  each  inherited  money 
from  their  father.  No;  understand  me  once  for  all, 
Rose.  I must  be  the  sole  heir  of  all  my  father’s  wealth, 
with  the  exceptions  I have  named,  and  the  sole  successor 
to  his  business,  without  any  exception  whatever.  You 
must  live,  serve  him  and  bear  with  him  only  to  obtain 
such  an  ascendency  over  him  as  to  induce  him  to  make 
such  a will  as  I have  dictated  to  you.  You  can  do  this. 
You  can  insinuate  it  so  subtlely  that  he  will  never  sus- 
pect the  suggestion  came  from  you.  I say  you  can  do 
this,  and  you  must  do  it.  The  woman  who  could  de- 
ceive and  entrap  old  Aaron  Eockharrt,  the  Iron  King, 
into  matrimony,  can  do  anything  else  in  the  world  that 
she  pleases  to  do  with  him  if  only  she  will  be  as  subtle, 
as  patient,  and  as  complacent  to  him  after  marriage  as 
she  had  been  before  marriage.” 

^Tf  Clarence  is  to  be  so  provided  for,  Cora  and  Sylvan 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  99 

to  have  modest  legacies,  and  yon  to  have  the  huge  bulk 
of  the  estate — ^where  is  my  third  to  come  from 

^^Why,  my  dear,  I could  never  let  you  have  so  vast  a 
slice  out  of  the  mammoth  fortune ! Your  third  of  the 
estate  must  follow  Clarence’s  share  of  the  business — into 
nothingness.  You  must  play  magnanimity,  sacrifice 
your  third,  and  content  yourself  with  a suitable  provi- 
sion,”  said  Fabian,  equably. 

will  never  do  that!  I would  not  do  it  to  save 
your  life,  Fabian  Eockharrt  I” 

^Uh,  yes,  you  will,  my  darling.  Not  to  save  my  life, 
but  to  save  yourself  from  being  denounced  to  Mr.  Rock- 
harrt,  and  turned  out  of  this  house,  destitute  and  de- 
graded.” 

don’t  care  if  I should  be ! Do  you  think  me  quite 
a baby  in  your  hands  ? I have  been  reflecting  since  you 
have  been  talking  to  me.  I have  been  remembering 
that  you  told  me  that  the  law  gives  the  widow  one  third 
of  her  late  husband’s  property  when  he  dies  intestate, 
and  entitles  her  to  it,  no  matter  what  sort  of  a will  he 
makes.” 

^^Unless  there  has  been  a settlement,  my  angel,”  said 
Mr.  Fabian,  composedly. 

^‘Well,  there  has  been  no  settlement  in  my  case.  So 
whether  Aaron  Eockharrt  should  die  intestate,  or 
whether  he  should  make  a will,.  I am  sure  of  my  lawful 
third.  So  I defy  you,  Mr.  Fabian  Eockharrt.  You  may 
denounce  me  to  your  father.  He  may  turn  me  out  of 
doors  without  a penny,  and  Vithout  a character^’  as  the 


100 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

servants  say,  but  be  cannot  divorce  me,  because  I bave 
been  faithful  to  him  ever  since  our  marriage.  I could 
compel  him  by  law  to  support  me,  even  though  he  might 
not  let  me  share  his  home.  He  would  be  obliged  by  law 
to  give  me  alimony  in  proportion  to  his  income,  and, 
oh ! what  a magnificent  revenue  that  would  be  for  me — 
with  freedom  from  this  tyranny  into  the  bargain ! And 
at  his  death,  which  could  not  be  long  coming  at  his  age, 
and  after  such  a shock  as  his  dutiful  son  proposes  to 
give  him,  I should  come  in  for  my  third.  And,  oh, 
where  so  rich  a widow  as  I should  be ! With  forty  or 
fifty  years  of  life  before  me  in  which  to  enjoy  my  for- 
tune! Ah,  you  see,  my  clever  Mr.  Fabian  Eockharrt, 
though  you  frightened  me  out  of  self-possession  at  first, 
when  I come  to  think  over  the  situation,  I find  that  you 
can  do  me  no  great  harm.  If  you  should  put  your 
threats  in  execution  and  bring  about  a violent  separa- 
tion between  myself  and  my  husband,  you  would  do  me 
a signal  favor,  for  I should  gain  my  personal  freedom, 
with  a handsome  alimony  during  his  life,  and  at  his 
death  a third  of  his  vast  estate,”  she  concluded,  snapping 
her  fingers  in  his  face. 

“I  think  not.” 

‘‘Yes;  I would.” 

“No;  you  would  not.” 

“Indeed ! Why  should  I not,  pray  ?”  she  inquired, 
with  mocking  incredulity. 

“Oh,  because  of  a mere  trifle  in  your  code  of  morals 
— an  insignificant  impediment.” 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


101 


^^Tchut!’^  she  exclaimed,  contemptuously.  ^^Do  you 
think  me  quite  an  idiot 

think  you  would  be  much  worse  than  an  idiot  if, 
in  case  of  my  father’s  discarding  you,  you  should  move 
an  inch  toward  obtaining  alimony  or  in  the  case  of  the 
coveted  ^third.’  ” 

^Tshaw!  Why,  pray?” 

^^Because  you  have  not,  and  never  can  have,  the  shad- 
ow of  a right  to  either.” 

^^Bah ! why  not  ?” 

^^Because — Alfred  Whyte  is  living!” 

She  caught  her  breath  and  gazed  at  the  speaker  with 
great  dilating  blue  eyes. 

^^What — do — you — mean  ?”  she  faltered. 

^^Alfred  Whyte,  your  husband  of  twenty  years  ago, 
is  still  living  and  likely  to  live — a very  handsome  man 
of  forty  years,  residing  at  his  magnificent  country  seat, 
Whyte  Hall,  Dulwich,  near  London.” 

^^Married  again  ?”  she  whispered,  hoarsely. 

^^Certainly  not ; an  English  gentleman  does  not  com- 
mit bigamy.” 

^^How  did  you — ^become  acquainted — ^with  these 
facts  ?” 

was  sufiiciently  interested  in  you  to  seek  him  out, 
when  I was  in  England.  I discovered  where  he  lived; 
also  that  he  was  looking  out  for  the  best  investment  of 
his  idle  capital.  I called  on  him  personally  in  the  in- 
terests of  our  great  enterprise.  He  is  now  a member  of 
the  London  syndicate.” 


102 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

‘^Did  you  speak — of  me  ?” 

“Never  mentioned  your  name.  How  could  I,  know- 
ing as  I did  of  the  Stillwater  episode  in  your 
story  V’ 

“And  he  lives ! Alfred  Whyte  lives ! Oh,  misery, 
misery,  misery ! Evil  fate  has  followed  me  all  the  days 
of  my  life,”  moaned  Rose,  wringing  her  hands. 

“Now,  why  should  you  take  on  so,  because  Whyte  is 
living?  Would  you  have  had  that  fine,  vigorous  man, 
in  the  prime  of  his  life,  die  for  your  benefit  ?” 

“But  I thought  he  was  dead  long  ago.” 

“You  were  too  ready  to  believe  that,  and  to  console 
yourself.  He  was  more  faithful  to  your  memory.” 

“How  do  you  know  ? You  said  my  name  was  never 
mentioned  between  you.” 

“Not  from  him,  but  from  a mutual  acquaintance,  of 
whom  I asked  how  it  was  that  Mr.  Whyte  had  never 
married,  I heard  that  he  had  grieved  for  her  out  of  all 
reason  and  had  ever  remained  faithful  to  the  memory  of 
his  first  and  only  love.  My  own  inference  was,  and  is, 
that  the  report  of  your  death  was  got  up  by  his  friends 
to  break  off  the  connection.” 

“And  you  never  told  this  ‘mutual  friend’  that  I still 
lived  ?” 

“How  could  I,  my  dear,  with  my  knowledge  of  your 
Stillwater  affair  ? No,  no ; I was  not  going  to  disturb 
the  peace  of  a good  man  by  telling  him  that  his  child- 
wife  of  twenty  years  ago  was  still  living,  but  lost  to  him 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  103 

by  a fall  far  worse  than  death.  No — I let  you  remain 
dead  to  him.” 

'‘Oh,  misery!  misery!  misery!  I would  to  Heaven 
I were  dead  to  everybody!  dead,  dead  indeed!”  she 
cried,  wringing  her  hands  in  anguish. 

"Come,  come,  don’t  be  a fool ! You  see  that  you  are 
utterly  in  my  power  and  must  do  my  will.  Do  it,  and 
you  will  come  to  no  harm ; but  live  and  die  in  a luxuri- 
ous home.” 


CHAPTEK  VII 


sylvan's  oedbes 

While  the  amiable  Mr.  Fabian  was  engaged  in  sooth- 
ing the  woman  whom  he  was  resolved  to  make  his  in- 
strument in  gaining  the  whole  of  his  father’s  great  busi- 
ness bequeathed  to  him  by  will,  carriage  wheels  were 
heard  grating  on  the  gravel  of  the  drive  leading  up  to 
the  front  door  of  the  house,  and  a few  minutes  after- 
ward the  master’s  knock  was  answered  by  the  hall 
waiter,  and  old  Aaron  Eockharrt  strode  into  the  draw- 
ing room. 

“I  did  not  know  that  you  had  gone  out  again.  I left 
you  on  the  library  sofa  asleep,”  said  Pose,  deferentially, 
as  she  sprang  up  to  meet  him. 

‘^I  was  called  out  on  business  that  don’t  concern  you. 
Ah,  Fabian ! How  is  it  that  I find  you  here  to-night  ?” 
inquired  the  Iron  King,  as  he  threw  himself  into  a 
chair. 

“I  brought  Cora  home  from  the  Banks,”  replied  the 
eldest  son. 

“Ah ! how  is  Mrs.  Fabian  ?” 

“Still  delicate.  I can  scarcely  hope  that  she  will  be 
stronger  for  some  weeks  yet.” 

104 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


105 


^^When  are  you  going  to  bring  her  to  call  on  my 
wife?’^  demanded  the  Iron  King,  bending  his  gray 
brows  somewhat  angrily  and  looking  suspiciously  on 
his  son;  for  he  was  not  pleased  that  his  daughter-in- 
law’s visit  of  ceremony  had  been  so  long  delayed. 

^^As  soon  as  she  is  able  to  leave  the  house.  Our  phy- 
sician has  forbidden  her  to  take  any  long  walk  or  ride 
for  some  time  yet.” 

^^And  how  long  is  this  seclusion  to  last 

^^ITntil  after  a certain  event  to  take  place  at  the  end 
of  three  months.” 

^^Ah ! and  then  another  month  for  convalescence ! So 
it  will  be  late  in  the  autumn  before  we  can  hope  to  see 
Mrs.  Fabian  Eockharrt  at  Eockhold.” 
fear  so,  indeed,  sir.” 

do  not  approve  of  this  petting,  coddling,  and  in- 
dulging women.  It  makes  the  weak  creatures  weaker. 
If  you  choose  to  seclude  your  wife  or  allow  her  to  se- 
clude herself  on  account  of  a purely  physiological  con- 
dition, I will  not  allow  Mrs.  Eockharrt  to  go  near  her 
until  she  goes  to  return  her  call.” 

When  Cora  reached  her  chamber  that  evening  she  sat 
down  to  reflect  on  all  that  her  Uncle  Fabian  had  told 
her  of  the  past  history  of  her  grandfather’s  young  wife, 
and  to  anticipate  the  possible  movements  of  her  brother. 
Her  own  life,  since  the  loss  of  her  husband — now  loved 
so  deeply,  though  loved  too  late — she  felt  was  over.  The 
future  had  nothing  for  herself.  What,  therefore,  could 


loe 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


she  do  with  the  dull  years  in  which  she  might  long  veg- 
etate through  life  but  to  give  them  in  useful  service  to 
those  who  needed  help  ? She  would  go  with  her  brother 
to  the  frontier,  and  find  some  field  of  labor  among  the 
Indians.  She  would  found  a school  with  her  fortune, 
and  devote  her  life  to  the  education  of  Indian  children. 
And  she  would  call  the  school  by  her  lost  husband’s 
name,  and  so  make  of  it  a monument  to  his  memory. 

Revolving  these  plans  in  her  mind,  Cora  Eothsay  re- 
tired to  rest.  The  next  morning  she  arose  at  her  usual 
hour,  dressed,  and  went  downstairs. 

Old  Aaron  Eockharrt  and  his  young  wife  were  al- 
ready in  the  parlor,  waiting  for  the  breakfast  bell  to 
ring. 

She  had  but  just  greeted  them  when  the  call  came, 
and  all  moved  toward  the  breakfast  room. 

Just  as  the  three  had  seated  themselves  at  the  table, 
and  while  Rose  was  pouring  out  the  coffee,  the  sound 
of  carriage  wheels  was  heard  approaching  the  house, 
and  a few  minutes  later  Mr.  Clarence  and  Sylvan  en- 
tered the  breakfast  room  with  joyous  bustle. 

^^What — what — ^what  does  this  unseemly  excitement 
mean?’’  sternly  demanded  the  Iron  King,  while  Cora 
arose  to  shake  hands  with  her  uncle  and  brother ; and 
while  Rose,  fearful  of  doing  wrong,  did  nothing  at  all. 

^^What  is  the  matter  ? What  has  happened  ? Why 
have  you  left  the  works  at  this  hour  of  the  morning, 
Clarence?”  he  requested  of  his  son. 

came  with  Sylvan,  sir,  for  the  last  time  before  he 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  lOT 

leaves  us  for  distant  and  dangerous  service,  and  for  an 
unlimited  period/’ 

^^Ah!  you  have  your  orders,  then?”  said  Mr.  Eock- 
harrt,  in  a somewhat  mollified  tone. 

^^Yes,  sir,”  said  the  young  lieutenant.  received  my 
commission  by  the  earliest  mail  this  morning,  with  or- 
ders to  report  for  duty  to  Colonel  Glennin,  of  the  Third 
Regiment  of  Infantry,  now  at  Governor’s  Island,  New 
York  harbor,  and  under  orders  to  start  for  Eort  Farther- 
most, on  the  Mexican  fontier.  I must  leave  to-night 
in  order  to  report  in  time.” 

Cora  looked  at  him  with  the  deepest  interest. 

Rose  thought  now  she  might  venture  on  a little  civil- 
ity without  giving  offense  to  her  despotic  lord. 

^^Have  you  had  breakfast,  you  two  ?”  she  inquired. 

^^No,  indeed.  We  started  immediately  after  receiv- 
ing the  orders,”  said  Sylvan.  ^^And  we  are  as  hungry  as 
two  bears.” 

^^Bring  chairs  to  the  table,  Mark,  for  the  gentlemen,” 
said  young  Mrs.  Rockharrt,  who  then  rang  for  two 
more  covers  and  hot  coffee. 

^^Cora,”  whispered  Sylvan,  as  soon  as  he  got  a chance 
to  speak  to  his  sister,  ‘^^you  can  never  get  ready  to  go 
with  me  on  so  short  a notice.  Women  have  so  much 
to  do.” 

^^Sylvan,”  she  replied,  have  been  ready  for  a 
month.” 


CHAPTEE  VIII 


SOMETHING  HNESPECTED 

The  day  succeeding  that  on  which  Sylvanus  Haught 
had  received  his  commission  as  second  lieutenant  in  the 
Third  Eegiment  of  Infantry,  then  on  Governor’s  Island, 
New  York  harbor,  and  under  orders  for  Port  Earther- 
most,  on  the  southwestern  frontier,  was  a very  busy 
one  for  Cora  Eothsay;  for,  however  well  she  had  been 
prepared  for  a sudden  journey,  there  were  many  little 
final  details  to  be  attended  to  which  would  require  all 
the  time  she  had  left  at  her  disposal. 

A farewell  visit  must  be  paid  to  Violet  Eockharrt, 
and — worse  than  all — an  explanatory  interview  must  be 
held  with  her  grandfather  in  relation  to  her  departure 
with  Sylvanus  Haught,  and  that  interview  must  be  held 
before  the  Iron  King  should  leave  Eockhold  that  morn- 
ing for  his  daily  visit  to  the  works. 

Cora  had  often,  during  the  last  year,  and  oftener  since 
her  grandfather’s  second  marriage,  taken  occasion  to 
allude  to  her  intention  of  accompanying  her  brother  to 
his  post  of  duty,  however  distant  and  dangerous  that 
post  might  be.  She  had  done  this  with  the  fixed  pur- 

108 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  109 

pose  of  preparing  this  autocratic  old  gentleman’s  mind 
for  the  event. 

Now,  the  day  of  her  intended  departure  had  arrived ; 
she  was  to  leave  Rockhold  with  her  brother  that  after- 
noon to  take  the  evening  express  to  New  York.  And  as 
she  could  not  go  without  taking  leave  of  her  grand- 
father, it  was  necessary  that  she  should  announce  her 
intention  to  him  before  he  should  start  on  his  daily  visit 
to  North  End. 

Therefore  Cora  had  risen  very  early  that  morning  and 
had  gone  down  into  the  little  office  or  library  of  the 
Iron  King,  that  was  situated  at  the  rear  of  the  middle 
hall,  there  to  wait  for  him,  as  it  was  his  custom  to  rise 
early  and  go  into  his  study,  to  look  over  the  papers  be- 
fore breakfast.  These  papers  were  brought  by  a special 
messenger  from  North  End,  who  started  from  the  depot 
as  soon  as  the  earliest  train  arrived  with  the  morning’s 
mail  and  reached  Rockhold  by  seven  o’clock. 

She  had  not  sat  there  many  minutes  before  Mr.  Eock- 
harrt  entered  the  study. 

am  going  away  with  my  brother,”  Cora  said,  with- 
out any  preface  whatever,  ^^to  lort  Farthermost,  on  the 
southwestern  Indian  frontier.” 
think  you  must  be  crazy.” 

^^Dear  grandpa,  this  is  no  impulsive  purpose  of  mine. 
I have  thought  of  it  ever  since — ever  since — the  death 
of  my  dear  husband,”  said  Cora,  in  a broken  voice. 

^^Oh ! the  death  of  your  dear  husband  ?”  he  exclaimed, 
rudely  interrupting  her.  ^^Much  you  cared  for  the 


110 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


death  of  your  dear  husband ! If  yon  had,  yon  wonld 
never  have  driven  him  forth  to  his  death!  for  that  is 
what  yon  did ! Yon  cannot  deceive  me  now.  As  long 
as  the  fate  of  Enle  Eothsay  was  a mystery,  I was  myself 
at  somewhat  of  a loss  to  acconnt  for  his  disappearance 
— ^thongh  I snspected  yon  even  then — bnt  when  the 
news  came  that  he  had  been  killed  by  the  Comanches 
near  the  bonndaries  of  Mexico,  and  I had  time  to  reflect 
on  it  all,  I knew  that  he  had  been  driven  away  by  yon — 
yon ! And  all  for  the  sake  of  a titled  English  dandy ! 
Yon  need  not  deny  it,  Cora  Eothsay 

^Tt  wonld  be  qnite  nseless  to  deny  anything  that  yon 
choose  to  assert,  sir,’^  replied  the  yonng  lady,  coldly  bnt 
respectfnlly.  ^^Yet  I mnst  say  this,  that  I loved  and 
honored  my  hnsband  more  than  I ever  did  or  ever  can 
love  and  honor  any  other  hnman  being.  His  departnre 
broke  my  spirit,  and  his  death  has  nearly  broken  my 
heart — certainly  it  has  blasted  my  fntnre.  My  life  is 
worth  nothing,  nothing  to  me,  except  as  I make  it  nse- 
fnl  to  those  who  need  my  help.’^ 

^^Enbbish!’^  exclaimed  old  Aaron  Eockharrt,  tnrn- 
ing  over  the  leaves  of  his  paper  and  looking  for  the 
financial  colnmn. 

^^Grandfather,  please  hear  me  patiently  for  a few 
minutes,  for  after  to-day  I do  not  know  that  we  may  ever 
meet  again,’’  pleaded  Cora. 

The  old  man  laid  his  open  paper  on  his  knees,  set  his 
spectacles  np  on  his  head,  and  looked  at  her. 

^^What  the  devil  do  you  mean  ?”  he  slowly  inquired. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


111 


I am  to  leave  Eockhold  witli  my  brother  this 
afternoon,  to  go  with  him,  first  to  Governor’s  Island, 
and  within  a few  days  start  with  him  for  the  distant 
frontier  fort  which  may  be  his  post  of  duty  for  many 
years  to  come.  We  may  not  be  able  to  return  within 
your  lifetime,  grandfather,”  said  Cora,  gravely  and  ten* 
derly. 

^^And  what,  in  Satan’s  name,  unless  you  are  stark 
mad,  should  take  you  out  to  the  Indian  frontier?”  ho 
demanded. 

^^I  might  answer,  to  be  with  my  only  brother,  I being 
his  only  sister.” 

^^Bosh!  Men’s  wives  very  seldom  accompany  them 
to  these  savage  posts,  much  less  their  sisters!  What 
does  a young  officer  want  his  sister  tagging  after  him 
for?” 

^Tt  is  not  that  Sylvan  especially  wants  me,  nor  for 
his  sake  alone  that  I go.” 

^Well,  then,  what  in  the  name  of  lunacy  do  you  go 
for  ?” 

^^That  I may  devote  my  time  and  fortune  to  a good 
cause — to  the  education  of  Indian  girls  and  boys.  I 
mean  to  build ” 

^^That,  or  something  like  that,  was  what  Eothsay  tried 
to  do  when  you  drove  him  away,  as  if  he  had  been  a 
leper,  to  the  desert.  Well,  go  on ! What  next  ? Let 
us  hear  the  whole  of  the  mad  scheme !” 

mean  to  build  a capacious  schoolhouse,  in  which 
I will  receive,  board,  lodge,  and  teach  as  many  Indian 


112  AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

children  as  may  be  intrusted  to  me,  until  the  house  shall 
he  full.” 

“Moonstruck  mania!  That  is  what  your  mad  hus- 
band, driven  mad  by  you,  attempted  on  a smaller  scale, 
and  failed.” 

“That  is  why  I wish  to  do  this.  I wish  to  follow  in 
his  footsteps.  It  is  the  best  thing  I can  do  to  honor  his 
memory.” 

“But  he  was  murdered  for  his  pains.” 

Cora  shuddered  and  covered  her  face  with  her  hands 
for  a space ; then  she  answered,  slowly : 

“There  may  be  many  failures;  but  there  will  never 
be  any  success  unless  the  failures  are  made  stepping 
stones  to  final  victory.” 

“Fudge!  See  here,  mistress!  No  doubt  you  suffer 
a good  many  stings  of  conscience  for  having  driven  the 
best  man  that  ever  lived — except,  hem ! well — to  his 
death!  But  you  need  not  on  that  account  expatriate 
yourself  from  civilization,  to  go  out  to  try  to  teach  those 
red  devils  who  murdered  your  husband  and  burned  his 
hut,  and  who  will  probably  murder  you  and  burn  your 
schoolhouse ! You  have  been  a false  woman  and  a mis- 
erable sinner,  Cora  Eothsay!  And  you  have  deserved 
to  suffer  and  you  have  suffered,  there  is  no  doubt  about 
that!  But  you  have  repented,  and  may  be  pardoned. 
You  need  not  immolate  yourself  at  your  age.  You  are  a 
mere  girl.  You  will  get  over  your  morbid  grief.  You 
may  marry  again.” 

Cora  slowly,  sadly,  silently,  shook  her  head. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


US 


yes ; you 

^^No;  no;  no,  dear  grandpa.  I will  bear  my  dear  lost 
husband’s  name  to  the  end  of  my  life,  and  it  shall  be 
inscribed  on  my  tomb.  Ah!  would  to  Heaven  that  at 
the  last,  I might  lay  my  ashes  beside  his,”  she  moaned. 

^^Now,  don’t  be  a confounded  fool,  Cora  Eothsay  I To 
be  sure,  all  women  are  fools ! But,  then,  a girl  with  a 
drop  of  my  blood  in  her  veins  should  not  be  such  a con- 
summate idiot  as  you  are  showing  yourself  to  be.  You 
shall  not  go  out  with  Sylvan  to  that  savage  frontier.  It 
is  no  place  for  a woman,  particularly  for  an  unmarried 
woman.  You  would  come  to  a bad  end.  I shall  speak 
to  Sylvan.  I shall  forbid  him  to  take  you  there,”  said 
the  old  autocrat. 

Cora  smiled,  but  answered  nothing.  She  had  firmly 
made  up  her  mind  to  go  with  her  brother,  whether  her 
grandfather  should  approve  the  action  or  not;  but  she 
thought  it  unnecessary  to  dispute  the  matter  with  him 
just  now. 

^^So,  mistress,  you  will  stay  here,  under  my  guardian- 
ship, until  you  accept  a husband,  like  a respectable 
woman,”  continued  old  Aaron  Eockharrt. 

Still  Cora  remained  silent,  standing  by  his  chair,  with 
her  hand  resting  on  the  table,  and  her  eyes  cast  down. 

The  egotist  seemed  not  to  object  to  having  all  the  talk 
to  himself. 

^Uome!”  he  exclaimed,  with  sudden  animation,  sit- 
ting bolt  upright  in  his  chair.  ^^When  I found  you  in 
^is  room  just  now,  you  said  you  had  something  to  tell 


114 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


me.  And  you  told  it.  Naturally,  it  was  not  worth 
hearing.  Now,  then,  I have  something  to  tell  you,  which 
is  so  well  worth  hearing  that  when  you  have  heard  it 
your  missionary  madness  may  be  cured,  and  your  Quix- 
otic expedition  given  up ; in  fact,  all  your  plans  in  life 
changed — a splendid  prospect  opened  before  you.’^ 

Cora  looked  up,  her  languor  all  gone,  her  interest 
aroused.  Something  was  rising  in  her  mind ; not  a sun 
of  hope — ah!  no — ^but  nebula,  obscure,  unformed,  in- 
distinct, yet  with  possible  suns  of  hope,  worlds  of  hap- 
piness, within  it.  What  did  her  grandfather  mean? 

Had  he  heard  something  about Was  Rule  yet 

Swift  as  lightning  flashed  these  thoughts  through  her 
mind  while  her  grandfather  drew  his  breath  between  his 
utterances. 

^Tisten ! This  is  what  I had  to  tell  you : I had  a let- 
ter a few  days  ago  from  an  old  suitor  of  yours,’’  he  said, 
looking  keenly  at  his  granddaughter. 

Cora’s  eyes  fell,  her  spirits  drooped.  The  nebula  of 
unknown  hopes  and  joys  had  faded  away,  leaving  her 
prospect  dark  again.  She  looked  depressed  and  disap- 
pointed. She  could  feel  no  shadow  of  interest  in  her 
old  suitors. 

received  this  letter  several  days  since,  and  being  at 
leisure  just  then,  I answered  it.  But  in  the  pressure  of 
some  important  matters  I forgot  to  tell  you  of  it,  though 
it  concerned  yourself  mostly,  I might  say  entirely. 
Shouldn’t  have  remembered  it  now,  I suppose,  if  it  had 
not  been  for  your  foolish  talk  about  going  out  for  a 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


115 


missionary  to  the  savages.  Ah ! another  destiny  awaits 
your  acceptance.’^ 

Cora  sighed  in  silence. 

^^Now,  then.  Of  course  you  must  know  who  this  cor- 
respondent is.” 

^^Without  otfense  to  you,  grandfather,  I neither  know 
nor  care,”  languidly  replied  the  lady. 

^^.But  it  is  not  without  offense  to  me.  You  are  the 
most  eccentric  and  inconsistent  woman  I ever  met  in  all 
the  course  of  my  life.  You  are  not  constant  even  to 
your  inconstancy.” 

Having  uttered  this  paradox,  the  old  man  threw  him- 
self back  in  his  chair  and  gazed  at  his  granddaughter. 

am  not  yet  clear  as  to  your  meaning,  sir,”  she  said^ 
coldly,  but  respectfully. 

‘^What!  Have  you  quite  forgotten  the  titled  dandy 
for  whom  you  were  near  breaking  your  heart  three  years 
ago  ? For  whom  you  were  ready  to  throw  over  one  of 
the  best  and  truest  men  that  ever  lived  ? For  whom  you 
really  did  drive  Eegulas  Eothsay,  on  the  proudest  and 
happiest  day  of  his  life,  into  exile  and  death !” 

^^Oh,  don’t ! dont ! grandfather ! Don’t !”  wailed  Cora, 
sinking  on  an  office  stool,  and  dropping  her  hands  and 
head  on  the  table. 

‘^Now,  none  of  that,  mistress.  No  hysterics,  if  you 
please.  I won’t  permit  any  woman  about  me  to  indulge 
in  such  tantrums.  Listen  to  me,  ma’am.  My  corre- 
spondent was  young  Cumbervale,  the  noodle!” 


116 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


^^Then  I never  wish  to  see  or  hear  or  think  of  him 
again  exclaimed  Cora. 

^Tndeed ! But  that  is  a woman  all  through.  She  will 
do  or  suffer  anything  to  get  her  own  way.  She  will 
defy  all  her  friends  and  relations,  all  principles  of  truth 
and  honor ; she  will  move  Heaven  and  earth,  go  through 
fire  and  water,  to  get  her  own  way ; and  when  she  does 
get  it  she  don’t  want  it,  and  she  won’t  have  it.” 

^^Grandfather !”  pleaded  Cora. 

^^Silence!  Three  years  ago  you  would  have  walked 
over  all  our  dead  bodies,  if  necessary,  to  marry  that  no- 
ble booby.  And  you  would  have  married  him  if  it  had 
not  been  for  me ! I would  not  permit  you  to  wed  him 
then,  because  you  were  in  honor  bound  to  Eegulas  Roth- 
say.  I shall  insist  on  your  accepting  him  now,  because 
poor  Eothsay  is  in  his  grave,  and  this  will  be  the  best 
thing  to  do  for  you  to  help  you  out  of  harm’s  way  from 
redskins  and  rattlesnakes  and  other  reptiles.  I don’t 
think  much  of  the  fellow ; but  he  seems  to  be  a harm- 
less idiot,  and  is  good  enough  for  you.” 

Cora  answered  never  a word,  but  she  felt  quite  sure 
that  not  even  the  iron  will  of  the  Iron  King  could  ever 
coerce  her  into  marriage  with  any  man,  least  of  all  with 
the  man  whose  memory  was  identified  with  her  heart’s 
tragedy.  The  old  man  continued  his  monologue. 

‘^The  best  thing  about  the  fellow  is  his  constancy. 
He  was  after  your  imaginary  fortune  once.  I am  sure 
of  that.  And  he  was  so  dazzled  by  the  illumination  of 
that  ignis  fatuus  that  he  didn’t  see  you,  perhaps,  and 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


117 


didn’t  recognize  how  much  he  really  cared  for  yon.  At 
all  events,  in  his  letter  to  me — and,  by  the  way,  it  is  very 
strange  that  he  should  write  to  me  after  the  snubbing  I 
gave  him  in  London,”  said  the  Iron  King,  reflectively. 

Cora  did  not  think  that  was  strange.  She,  at  least,, 
felt  sure  that  it  was  as  impossible  for  the  young  duke  to 
take  offense  at  the  rudeness  of  the  old  iron  man  as  at 
the  raging  of  a dog  or  the  tearing  of  a bull.  But  she 
did  not  drop  a hint  of  this  to  the  egotist,  who  never 
imagined  passive  insolence  to  be  at  the  bottom  of  the 
duke’s  forbearance. 

^Tn  his  letter  to  me,”  resumed  old  Aaron  Rockharrt, 
^^the  young  fool  tells  me  that,  immediately  after  his 
great  disappointment  in  being  rejected  by  you,  he  left 
England — and,  indeed,  Europe — and  traveled  through 
every  accessible  portion  of  Asia  and  Africa,  in  the  hope 
of  overcoming  his  misplaced  affection,  but  in  vain,  for 
that  he  returned  home  at  the  end  of  two  years  with  his 
heart  unchanged.  There  he  learned  through  the  news- 
papers that  you  had  been  recently  widowed,  through  the 
murder  of  your  husband  in  an  Indian  mutiny.  That’s 
how  he  put  it.  He  further  wrote  that,  in  the  face  of 
such  a tragedy  as  that,  he  felt  bound  to  forbear  the  faint- 
est  approach  toward  resuming  his  acquaintance  with 
you  until  some  considerable  time  should  have  elapsed, 
although,  he  was  careful  to  add,  he  always  believed  that 
you  had  given  him  your  heart,  and  would  have  given 
him  your  hand  had  you  been  permitted  to  do  so.  He 
ended  his  letter  by  asking  me  to  give  him  your  address,, 


118 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


that  he  might  write  to  you.  He  evidently  supposed  you 
to  be  keeping  house  for  yourself,  as  English  widows  of 
tjondition  usually  do.  Well,  my  girl,  what  do  you  think 
I didr 

^^You  told  me,  sir,  that,  being  at  leisure  just  then,  you 
answered  his  letter  immediately,”  coldly  replied  Cora. 

^^Yes ; and  I told  him  that  you  were  living  with  me. 
1 gave  him  the  full  address.  And  I told  him  that  I was 
pleased  with  his  frankness  and  fidelity,  qualities  which 
I highly  approved ; and  I added  that  if  he  Avished  to  re- 
new his  suit  to  you,  he  need  not  waste  time  in  writing, 
but  that  he  might  come  over  and  court  you  in  person 
here  at  Eockhold,  where  he  should  receive  a hearty,  old- 
fashioned  welcome.” 

Cora  gazed  at  the  old  man  aghast. 

^^Oh,  grandfather,  you  never  wrote  that!”  she  ex- 
claimed. 

never  wrote  that  ? What  do  you  mean,  mistress  ? 
Am  I in  the  habit  of  saying  what  is  not  true  ?” 

^^Oh,  no;  but  I am  so  grieved  that  you  should  have 
written  such  a letter.” 

^Why,  pray?” 

^^Because  I cannot  bear  that  any  one  should  think  for 
a moment  that  I could  every  marry  again.” 

^^Rubbish !” 

^Well,  it  does  not  matter  after  all.  If  the  duke  should 
come  on  this  fooFs  errand,  I shall  be  far  enough  out  of 
his  reach,”  thought  Cora;  but  she  said  no  more. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  119 

The  breakfast  bell  rang  out  with  much  clamor,  and 
the  old  man  arose  growling. 

‘^And  now  you  have  cheated  me  out  of  my  hour  with 
the  newspapers  by  your  foolish  talk.  Come,  come  to 
breakfast  and  let  us  hear  no  more  nonsense  about  going 
on  that  wild  goose  chase  to  the  Indian  frontier.’^ 

At  the  end  of  the  morning  meal  he  arose  from  the 
table,  called  his  young  wife  to  fetch  him  his  hat,  his 
gloves,  his  duster,  and  other  belongings,  and  he  got 
ready  for  his  daily  morning  drive  to  the  works. 

shall  remain  at  North  End  to  bid  you  good-by, 
Sylvan.  Call  at  my  office  there  on  your  way  to  the  de- 
pot,^’ he  said,  as  he  left  the  house  to  step  into  his  car- 
riage waiting  at  the  door. 

As  the  sound  of  the  wheels  rolled  off  and  died  in  the 
distance,  Rose  turned  to  Cora,  and  inquired: 

^^My  dear,  does  he  know  that  you  are  going  out  West 
with  Sylvan?’^ 

^^He  should  know  it.  I have  spoken  freely  of  my 
plans  before  you  both  for  months  past,’’  said  Cora. 

^^But,  my  dear,  he  never  took  the  slightest  notice  of 
anything  you  said  on  that  subject.  Why,  he  did  not  even 
seem  to  hear  you.” 

^^He  heard  me  perfectly.  Nothing  passes  in  my 
grandfather’s  presence  that  he  does  not  see  and  hear 
and  understand.” 

^Well,  then,  I reckon  he  thinks  you  have  changed 
your  mind;  for  he  spoke  of  meeting  Sylvan  at  North 
End  to  bid  him  good-by,  but  said  not  a word  about  you.’^ 


120 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


‘‘He  will  believe  that  I am  going  when  be  sees  me 
with  Sylvan,”  said  Cora. 

And  then  she  touched  the  hell  and  ordered  her  car- 
riage to  be  brought  to  the  door. 

“We  must  go  and  take  leave  of  Mrs.  Fabian  Rock- 
harrt,”  she  said  to  Rose. 

Twenty  minutes  later  Cora  and  Sylvan  entered  the 
pony  carriage.  Sylvan  took  the  reins  and  started  for 
Violet  Banks. 

They  soon  reached  the  lovely  villa,  where  they  found 
Violet  seated  in  a Quaker  rocking  chair  on  the  front 
porch,  with  a basket  workstand  beside  her,  busily  and 
happily  engaged  in  her  beloved  work — embroidering  an 
infant’s  white  cashmere  cloak.  She  jumped  up,  dropped 
her  work,  and  ran  to  meet  her  visitors  as  they  alighted 
from  the  carriage.  She  kissed  Cora  rapturously,  and 
Sylvan  kissed  her. 

“How  lovely  of  you  both  to  come!  Wait  a minute 
till  I call  a boy  to  take  your  chaise  around  to  the  stable. 
And,  oh,  sit  dovra.  You  are  going  to  stay  all  day  with 
me,  too,  and  late  into  the  night — there  is  a fine  moon 
to-night.  Or  maybe  you  will  stay  a week  or  a month. 
Why  not  ? Oh,  do  stay,”  she  rattled  on,  a little  inco- 
herently on  account  of  her  happy  excitement. 

“No,  dear,”  said  Cora,  “we  can  only  stay  a very  few 
minutes.  The  rising  moon  will  see  us  far  away  on  our 
route  to  New  York.” 

“W-h-y ! You  astonish  me ! How  sudden  this  is ! 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  IZt 

Where  are  you  going  asked  Violet,  pausing  in  her 
hurry  to  call  a groom. 

‘Tet  me  explain/^  said  Cora,  taking  one  of  the  Qua- 
ker chairs  and  seating  herself.  ^^Sylvan  has  just  re- 
ceived his  commission  as  second  lieutenant  in  the  Third 
Regiment  of  Infantry,  now  on  Governor's  Island,  New 
York  harbor,  but  under  orders  for  Fort  Farthermost,  on 
the  extreme  frontier  of  the  Indian  Reserve.  He  leaves 
by  the  afternoon  express,  and  I go  with  him.^^ 

‘^Cora!’^  exclaimed  Violet,  as  she  dropped  into  her 
chair.  know  you  have  talked  about  this,  but  I never 
thought  you  would  do  such  a wild  deed ! Please  donT 
think  of  going  out  among  bears  and  Indians!^’ 

must,  dear,  for  many  reasons.  Sylvan  and  my- 
self are  all  and  all  to  each  other  at  present,  and  we 
should  not  be  parted.  More  than  that,  I wish  to  do 
something  in  the  world.  I cannot  do  anything  here.  I 
am  not  wanted,  you  see.  I must,  therefore,  go  where  I 
may  be  wanted  and  may  do  some  good.’’ 

^^But  what  can  you  do — out  there?” 

Cora  then  explained  her  plan  of  establishing  a mis- 
sionary home  and  school  for  Indian  children. 

^^What  a good,  great,  but,  oh,  what  a Quixotic  plan! 
Sylvan,  why  will  you  let  her  do  it  ?”  pleaded  Violet. 

^^My  dear,  I would  not  presume  to  oppose  Cora.  If 
she  thinks  she  is  right  in  this  matter,  then  she  is  right. 
If  her  resolution  is  fixed,  then  I will  uphold  and  defend 
her  in  that  resolution,”  said  the  young  lieutenant,  loy- 
ally. But  all  the  same  his  secret  thought  was  that  some 


123 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


fine  fellow  in  his  own  regiment  might  he  able  to  per- 
suade Cora  to  devote  her  time  and  fortune  to  him,  in- 
st^d  of  to  the  redskins. 

After  a little  more  talk  Cora  got  up  and  kissed  Vio- 
let good-by.  Sylvan  followed  her  example  with  a little  ^ 
more  ardor  than  was  absolutely  necessary,  perhaps. 

At  Eockhold  luncheon  was  on  the  table,  and  young 
Mrs.  Eockharrt  waiting  for  them.  Mr.  Clarence  was 
also  at  home,  having  determined  to  risk  his  father’s  dis- 
pleasure and  to  neglect  his  business  on  this  one  day — 
this  last  day,  for  the  sake  of  the  niece,  and  the  nephew 
who  were  so  dear  to  his  heart. 

After  luncheon  Sylvan  went  out  to  oversee  the  load- 
ing of  the  farm  van,  which  was  drawn  by  two  sturdy 
mules,  with  the  many  heavy  trunks  and  boxes  that  con- 
tained Cora’s  wardrobe  and  books — among  the  latter 
a large  number  of  elementary  school  books.  Mr.  Clar- 
ence stood  by  his  side  to  help  him  in  case  of  need.  Cora 
went  up  to  her  room,  where  nothing  was  now  left  to  be 
done  but  to  pack  her  little  traveling  bag  with  the  nec- 
essaries for  her  journey,  and  then  put  on  her  traveling 
suit.  She  had  a quantity  of  valuable  jewelry,  but  this 
she  put  carefully  into  her  hand  bag,  intending  to  con- 
vert it  all  into  money  as  soon  as  she  should  reach  New 
York,  and  to  consecrate  the  fund,  with  the  bulk  of  her 
fortune,  to  her  projected  home  school  for  the  Indian 
children. 

As  she  sat  there,  she  was  by  some  occult  agency  led 
to  think  of  her  grandfather’s  young  wife — to  think  of 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


123 


her  tenderly,  charitably,  compassionately.  Poor  Rose ! 
In  infancy,  from  the  day  of  her  father’s  death,  an  un- 
loved, neglected,  persecuted  child ; in  childhood,  driven 
to  desperation  and  elopement  by  the  miseries  of  her 
home;  in  girlhood,  deceived  and  abandoned  by  her 
lover;  now,  in  womanhood,  as  friendless  and  unhappy 
as  if  she  had  not  married  a wealthy  man,  and  was  not 
living  in  a luxurious  home.  Poor  Rose ! She  had  lost 
her  sense  of  honor^  or  she  never  would  have  married 
Mr.  Rockharrt,  even  for  a refuge.  But,  through  all  her 
sins  and  sorrows,  she  had  not  lost  her  tender  heart,  her 
sweet  temper,  or  her  amiable  desire  to  serve  and  to 
please.  She  had  now  a hard  time  with  her  aged,  des- 
potic husband.  He  had  not  gratified  her  ambition  by 
taking  her  into  the  upper  circles  of  society,  for  he  seemed 
now  to  have  given  up  society;  he  had  not  pleased  her 
harmless  vanity  with  presents  of  fine  dress  and  jew- 
elry; no,  nor  even  regarded  her  services  with  any  sort 
of  affectionate  recognition. 

Cora  sat  there  feeling  sorry  that  she  had  ever  shown 
herself  cold  and  haughty  to  the  helpless  creature  who 
had  always  done  all  that  she  could  to  win  her  (Cora’s) 
love,  and  whom  she  was  about  to  leave  to  the  tender 
mercies  of  a hard  and  selfish  old  man,  who,  though  he 
highly  approved  of  his  young  wife’s  meekness,  humility, 
and  subserviency,  and  held  her  up  as  an  example  to  her 
whole  sex,  yet  did  not  care  for  her,  did  not  consult  her 
wishes  in  anything,  did  not  consider  her  happiness. 

Cora  sat  wondering  what  she  could  do  to  give  this 


124. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


poor  little  soul  some  little  pleasure  before  leaving  her. 
Suddenly  she  thought  of  her  jewels.  She  resolved  to 
select  a set  and  give  it  to  Rose  with  some  kind  parting 
word. 

She  took  her  hand  bag  and  withdrew  from  it  case 
after  ease,  examining  each  in  turn.  There  was  a set  of 
diamonds  worth  many  thousand  dollars ; a set  of  rubies 
and  pearls,  worth  almost  as  much;  a set  of  emeralds, 
very  costly ; but  none  of  them  as  lovely  as  a set  of  sap- 
phires, pearls,  and  diamonds,  artistically  arranged  to- 
gether, the  sapphires  encircled  by  a row  of  pearls,  with 
an  outer  circle  of  small  diamonds;  the  whole  suggest- 
ing the  blue  color,  the  foam,  and  the  sparkle  of  the  sea. 

This  Cora  selected  as  a parting  present  to  her  grand- 
father’s young  wife. 

She  took  them  in  her  hand  and  hurried  to  Rose’s 
room,  knocked  at  the  door  and  entered.  Rose  was  seated 
in  a white  dimity-covered  arm  chair,  engaged  in  reading 
a novel.  She  looked  surprised,  and  almost  frightened, 
at  the  sight  of  Cora,  who  had  never  before  condescended 
to  enter  this  private  room. 

“Have  I disturbed  you  ?”  inquired  Cora. 

“Oh,  no;  no,  indeed.  Pray  come  in.  Please  sit 
down.  Will  you  have  this  arm  chair  ?”  eagerly  inquired 
the  young  woman,  rising  from  her  seat. 

“No,  thank  you.  Rose;  I have  scarcely  time  to  sit. 
I have  brought  you  a keepsake  which  I hope  you  will 
sometimes  wear  in  memory  of  your  old  pupil,”  said 
Cora,  opening  the  casket  and  displaying  the  gems. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


125 


Rose’s  face  was  a study — all  that  was  good  and  evil 
in  her  was  aroused  at  the  sight  of  the  rich  and  costly 
jewels — vanity,  cupidity,  gratitude,  tenderness, 

^^Oh,  how  superb  they  are ! I never  saw  such  splen- 
did gems ! A parure  for  a princess,  and  you  give  them 
to  me  ? What  a magnificent  present ! How  kind  you 
are,  Cora ! What  can  I do  ? How  shall  I ever  be  able 
to  return  your  kindness  said  Rose,  as  tears  of  delight 
and  wonder  filled  her  eyes. 

^^Wear  them  and  enjoy  them.  They  suit  your  fair 
complexion  very  well.  And  now  let  me  bid  you  good- 
by,  here.” 

^^No,  no;  not  yet.  I will  go  down  and  see  you  off — 
see  the  very  last  of  you,  Cora,  until  the  carriage  takes 
you  out  of  sight.  Oh,  dear,  it  may  indeed  be  the  very 
last  that  I shall  ever  see  of  you,  sure  enough.” 
hope  not.  Why  do  you  speak  so  sadly  ?” 

^^Because  I am  not  strong.  My  father  died  of  con- 
sumption; so  did  my  elder  brothers  and  sisters,  the 
children  of  his  first  marriage,  and  often  I think  I shall 
follow  them.” 

Mrs.  Rothsay  looked  at  the  speaker.  The  transpar- 
ent delicacy  of  complexion,  the  tenderness  of  the  limpid 
blue  eyes,  the  infantile  softness  of  face,  throat,  and 
hands,  certainly  did  not  seem  to  promise  much  strength 
or  long  life ; but  Cora  spoke  cheerfully : 

^^Such  hereditary  weakness  may  be  overcome  in  these 
days  of  science,  Rose.  You  must  banish  fear  and  take 


126  AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

care  of  yourself.  Now,  I really  must  go  and  put  on 
my  bonnet.” 

^^Very  well,  then,  if  you  must.  I will  meet  you  in 
the  hall.  Oh,  my  dear,  I am  so  very  grateful  to  you  for 
these  precious  jewels,  and  more  than  all  for  the  friend- 
ship and  kindness  that  prompted  the  gift,”  said  Rose; 
and  perhaps  she  really  did  believe  that  she  prized  the 
giver  more  than  the  gift ; for  such  self-deception  would 
have  been  in  keeping  with  her  superficial  character. 

Cora  left  the  room  and  hurried  to  her  chamber,  where 
she  put  on  her  bonnet  and  her  linen  duster.  She  had 
scarcely  fastened  the  last  button  when  her  brother 
knocked  at  the  door,  calling  out: 

^Uome,  Cora,  come,  or  we  shall  miss  the  train.” 

Cora  caught  up  her  traveling  bag,  cast 

long,  last,  lingering  look” 

around  the  dear,  familiar  room  which  she  had  occupied 
when  at  Rockhold  from  her  childhood^s  days,  and  then 
went  out  and  joined  her  brother. 

In  the  hall  below  they  were  met  by  Rose. 

^^Be  good  to  her,  poor  thing,”  whispered  Cora  to 
Sylvan. 

^^All  right,”  replied  the  young  lieutenant. 

Rose’s  eyes  were  filled  with  tears.  It  seemed  to  the 
friendless  creature  very  hard  to  lose  Cora,  just  as  Cora 
was  beginning  to  be  friendly. 

^'Good-by,”  said  Mrs.  Rothsay,  taking  the  woman’s 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  127 

hand.  But  Rose  burst  into  tears,  threw  her  arms 
around  the  young  lady’s  neck,  hugged  her  close,  and 
kissed  her  many  times. 

^^Good-by,  my  pretty  stepgrandmother-in-law,”  said 
Sylvan,  gayly,  taking  her  hand  and  giving  her  a kiss. 
^^You  are  still 

^The  rose  that  all  admire/ 

but  the  best  of  friends  must  part.” 

And  leaving  Rose  in  tears,  he  opened  the  door  for  his 
sister  to  pass  out  before  him.  But  she,  at  least,  passed 
no  farther  than  the  front  porch,  where  she  stood  look- 
ing down  the  lawn  in  surprise  and  anxiety,  while  Syl- 
van hurried  off  to  see  what  was  the  meaning  of  that 
which  had  so  suddenly  startled  them.  What  was  it? 
What  had  happened? 

A crowd  of  men,  silent,  but  with  faces  full  of  sup- 
pressed excitement  and  surrounding  something  that  was 
borne  in  their  midst,  was  slowly  marching  up  the  ave- 
nue. 

Cora  watched  Sylvan  as  he  went  to  meet  them;  saw 
him  speak  to  them,  though  she  could  not  hear  what 
he  said ; saw  them  stop  and  put  something,  which  they 
bore  along  and  escorted,  down  on  the  gravel ; saw  a par- 
ley between  her  brother  and  the  crowd,  and  finally  saw 
her  brother  turn  and  hurry  back  toward  the  house, 
wearing  a pale  and  troubled  countenance. 

^‘^You  may  take  the  carriage  back  to  the  stables, 


128 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


John,”  said  the  lieutenant  to  the  wondering  negro 
groom,  as  he  passed  it  in  returning  to  the  porch. 

“What  is  the  matter,  Sylvan  ? What  has  happened  ? 
Why  have  you  sent  the  carriage  away  V’  Cora  anxious- 
ly inquired. 

“Because,  my  dear,  we  must  not  leave  Rockhold  at 
present,”  he  gravely  replied.  “There  has  been  an  acci- 
dent, Cora.” 

“An  accident ! On  the  railroad  ?” 

“No,  my  dear;  to  our  old  grandfather.” 

“To  grandfather!  Oh,  Sylvan!  no!  no!”  she  cried, 
turning  white,  and  dropping  upon  a bench,  all  her  latent 
affection  for  the  aged  patriarch — ^the  unsuspected  affec- 
tion— waking  in  her  heart. 

“Yes,  dear,”  said  Sylvan,  softly. 

“Seriously?  Dangerously?  Fatally?  Perhaps  he  is 
dead  and  you  are  trying  to  break  it  to  me ! You  can’t 
do  it ! You  can’t ! Oh,  Sylvan,  is  grandfather  dead  ?” 
she  wildly  demanded. 

“No,  dear!  No,  no,  no!  Compose  yourself.  They 
are  bringing  him  here,  and  he  is  perfectly  conscious. 
He  must  not  see  you  so  much  agitated.  It  would  annoy 
him.  We  do  not  yet  know  how  seriously  he  is  hurt. 
He  was  thrown  from  his  carriage  when  near  North  End. 
The  horses  took  fright  at  the  passing  of  a train.  They 
ran  away  and  went  over  that  steep  bank  just  at  the  en- 
trance of  the  village.  The  carriage  was  shattered  all  to 
pieces;  the  coachman  killed  outright — poor  old  Joseph 
— and  the  horses  so  injured  that  they  had  to  be  shot.” 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  129 

‘‘Poor  old  Joseph!  I am  so  sorry!  so  very  sorry! 
But  grandfather!  grandfather!” 

“He  was  picked  up  insensible;  carried  to  the  hotel 
on  a mattress  laid  on  planks,  borne  by  half  a dozen 
workmen,  and  the  doctor  was  summoned  immediately. 
He  was  laid  in  bed,  and  all  means  were  tried  to  restore 
consciousness.  But  as  soon  as  he  came  to  his  senses  he 
demanded  to  be  brought  home.  The  doctor  thought  it 
dangerous  to  do  so.  But  you  know  the  grandfather’s 
obstinacy.  So  a stretcher  was  prepared,  a spring  mat- 
tress laid  on  it,  and  he  has  been  borne  all  the  way  from 
North  End  to  Eockhold  Ferry  by  relays  of  six  men  at 
a time,  relieving  each  other  at  short  intervals,  and  es- 
corted by  the  doctor  and  our  two  uncles.  That,  Cora, 
is  all  I can  tell  you.” 

He  then  entered  the  house,  followed  by  Cora. 

They  found  Rose  still  in  the  front  hall,  where  they 
had  left  her  a few  minutes  before.  She  was  seated  in 
one  of  the  oak  chairs  wiping  her  eyes.  She  had  not 
seen  the  approaching  procession  with  the  burden  they 
carried.  And  of  course  she  had  not  heard  their  silent 
movements. 

She  looked  up  in  surprise  at  the  re-entrance  of  Cora 
and  Sylvan. 

“Oh!”  she  exclaimed.  “Have  you  forgotten  any- 
thing ? So  glad  to  see  you  back,  even  for  half  a minute. 
For,  after  all,  I couldn’t  see  you  drive  away.  I just  shut 
the  door  and  flung  myself  into  this  chair  to  have  a good 
cry.  Can’t  you  put  off  your  journey  now,  just  for  to- 


130 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


night  and  start  to-morrow  ? You  will  have  to  do  it  any- 
how. You  can’t  catch  the  6 :30  express  now/’  she  added, 
coming  toward  them. 

^We  shall  not  attempt  it,  Rose,”  said  Sylvan,  in  a 
kinder  tone  than  he  usually  used  in  speaking  to  her. 

am  so  glad,”  she  said,  but  her  further  words  were 
arrested  by  the  grave  looks  of  the  young  man. 

^^What  is  the  matter  with  you?”  she  suddenly  in- 
quired. 

^^There  has  been  an  accident.  Rose.  Not  fatal,  my 
dear,  so  don’t  be  frightened.  My  grandfather  has  been 
thrown  from  his  carriage  and  stunned.  But  he  has  re- 
covered consciousness,  and  they  are  bringing  him  home 
a deal  shaken,  but  not  in  serious  danger.” 

While  Sylvan  spoke,  Rose  gazed  at  him  in  perfect  si- 
lence, with  her  blue  eyese  widening.  When-  he  finished, 
she  asked: 

^^How  did  it  happen  ?” 

Sylvan  told  her. 

Rose  dropped  into  a chair  and  covered  her  face  with 
her  hands.  She  was  more  shocked  than  grieved  by  all 
that  she  had  heard.  If  her  tyrant  had  been  brought 
home  dead,  I think  she  would  only  have  sighed 

^^With  the  sigh  of  a great  deliverance !” 

^^Let  us  go  now.  Rose,  and  prepare  his  bed.  Sylvan 
will  stay  here  to  receive  him,”  said  Cora. 

The  two  women  went  up  to  the  old  man’s  room  and 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


131 


turned  down  the  bedclothes,  and  laid  out  a change  of 
linen,  and  many  towels  in  case  they  should  be  needed, 
and  then  went'  to  the  head  of  the  stairs  and  waited  and 
listened. 

Presently,  through  the  open  hall  door,  they  heard  the 
muffled  tread  and  subdued  tones  of  the  men,  who  pres- 
ently entered,  bearing  the  stretcher  on  which  was  laid 
the  huge  form  of  the  Iron  King,  covered,  all  except  his 
face,  with  a white  bed-spread.  Slowly,  carefully,  and 
with  some  difficulty  they  bore  him  up  the  broad  stair- 
case head  first — preceded  by  the  family  physician.  Dr. 
Cummins,  and  followed  by  Messrs.  Fabian  and  Clarence. 

Rose  and  Cora  stood  each  side  the  open  chamber 
door,  and  when  the  men  bore  the  stretcher  in  and  set  it 
down  on  the  floor,  the  two  women  approached  and 
looked  down  on  the  injured  man. 

His  countenance  was  scarcely  affected  by  his  accident. 
He  was  no  paler  than  usual.  He  was  frowning — it  might 
be  from  pain  or  it  might  be  from  anger — and  he  was 
glaring  around.  Rose  was  afraid  to  speak  to  him,  prone 
on  the  stretcher  as  he  was,  lest  she  should  get  her  head 
bitten  off.  Cora  bent  over  him  and  said  tenderly : 

^^Dear  grandfather,  I am  very  sorry  for  this.  I hope 
you  are  not  hurt  much.” 

And  she  had  her  head  immediately  snapped  off. 

^TDon^t  be  a confounded  idiot !”  he  growled,  hoarsely. 
^^Go  and  send  old  black  Martha  here.  She  is  worth  a 
hundred  of  you  two.” 

Rose  hurried  off  to  obey  this  order,  glad  enough  of 


133 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

au  excuse  to  escape.  And  now  the  room  was  cleared  of 
all  the  men  except  the  family  physician,  the  two  sons, 
and  the  grandson. 

These  approached  the  stretcher  and  carefully  and  tern 
derly  undressed  the  patient  and  laid  him  on  his  bed. 

Then  the  physician  made  a more  careful  examination. 

There  were  no  bones  broken.  The  injuries  seemed  to 
be  all  internal ; but  of  their  seriousness  or  dangerousness 
the  physician  could  not  yet  judge.  The  nervous  shock 
had  certainly  been  severe,  and  that  in  itself  was  a grave 
misfortune  to  a man  of  Aaron  Rockharrt’s  age,  and 
might  have  been  instantaneously  fatal  to  any  one  of 
less  remarkable  strength. 

Dr.  Cummins  told  Mr.  Fabian  that  he  should  remain 
in  attendance  on  his  patient  all  night.  Then,  at  the  de- 
sire of  Mr.  Eockharrt,  he  cleared  the  sick  room  of  every 
one  except  the  old  negro  woman. 

When  the  door  was  shut  upon  them  all,  and  the  cham- 
ber was  quiet,  he  administered  a sedative  to  his  patient 
and  advised  him  to  close  his  eyes  and  try  to  compose 
himself. 

Then  the  doctor  sat  down  on  the  right  side  of  the 
bed,  with  old  Martha  on  his  left. 

There  was  utter  silence  for  a few  minutes,  and  then 
old  Aaron  Eockharrt  spoke, 

“What’s  the  hour,  doctor  ?” 

“Seven,”  replied  the  physician,  after  consulting  his 
gold  repeater.  “But  I advise  you  to  keep  quiet  and  try 
to  sleep,”  he  added,  returning  his  timepiece  to  his  fob. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


133 


As  if  the  Iron  King  ever  followed  advice ! As  if  he 
did  not,  on  general  principles,  always  run  counter  to  it ! 

“Didn’t  I see  my  fool  of  a grandson  among  the  other 
lunatics  who  ran  after  me  here  ?”  he  next  inquired. 

“Yes.” 

“Where  is  he  now  ?” 

“With  the  ladies,  I think.” 

“Send — him — up — to — me !” 

The  doctor  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  went  to  obey 
the  order.  The  obstinacy  of  this  self-willed  egotist  was 
surely  growing  into  a monomania,  and  perhaps  it  would 
have  been  more  dangerous  to  oppose  him  than  to  com- 
ply with  his  whim.  In  a few  moments  Dr.  Cummins  re- 
entered the  room,  followed  by  Sylvan  Haught. 

“I  hope  you  are  feeling  easier,”  said  the  lieutenant, 
as  he  bent  over  his  grandfather. 

“I  have  not  complained  of  feeling  uneasy  yet,  have 
I ?”  growled  the  Iron  King. 

“You  sent  for  me,  sir.  Can  I do  anything  for  you  ?” 

“For  me  ? No ; not  likely ! But  you  can  do  your  duty 
to  your  country ! How  is  it  that  you  are  not  on  your 
way  to  join  your  regiment  ?” 

“I  had  actually  bidden  good-by  and  left  the  house  to 
start  on  my  journey,  when  I met  the  men  bringing  you 
home.” 

“What  the  demon  had  that  to  do  with  it  ?” 

“I  could  not  go  on,  sir,  and  leave  you  under  such  cir- 
cumstances.” 

“Look  here,  young  sir!”  said  the  Iron  King,  speak- 


134 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

ing  hoarsely,  faintly,  yet  with  strong  determination. 
“Do  you  call  yourself  a soldier  or  a shirk?  Let  me  tell 
you  that  it  is  the  first  duty  of  a soldier  to  obey  orders, 
at  all  times,  under  all  circumstances,  and  at  all  costs! 
If  you  had  been  a married  man,  and  your  wife  had  been 
dying — if  you  had  been  a father,  and  your  child  had 
been  dying,  it  would  have  been  your  duty  to  leave 
them !” 

“But,  sir,  there  was  no  real  need  that  I should  go  by 
this  night’s  express.  If  I should  start  to-morrow  morn- 
ing, I shall  be  in  good  time  to  report  for  duty.  It  was 
only  i<iy  zeal  to  be  better  than  prompt  which  induced 
me  to  start  earlier  than  necessary.  To-morrow  will  be 
quite  time  enough  to  leave  for  New  York.” 

“Very  well;  then  go  to-niorrow  by  the  first  train,” 
said  the  Iron  King  in  a more  subdued  manner,  for  the 
sedative  was  beginning  to  take  effect. 

At  a hint  from  the  doctor  the  young  lieutenant  bade 
his  grandfather  good-night  and  softly  stepped  out  of 
the  room. 


CHAPTEK  IX 


THE  SICK  LIOH 

Early  the  next  morning  Dr.  Cummins  came  down 
stairs  and  joined  the  family  at  the  breakfast  table. 

In  answer  to  anxious  inquiries,  he  reported  that  Mr. 
Eockharrt  had  slept  well  during  the  night,  and  had  just 
taken  refreshment  prepared  by  old  Martha  under  the 
physician’s  own  orders,  and  had  composed  himself  to 
sleep  again. 

^^He  would  not  admit  any  of  us  last  night.  Will  he 
see  me  this  morning  inquired  Rose  Eockharrt. 

^^Of  course,  after  a little  while.  It  was  best  that  I 
and  the  old  nurse  should  have  watched  him  alone  to- 
gether last  night,  but  the  woman  now  needs  rest,  and  I 
must  presently  take  leave,  to  look  after  my  other  pa- 
tients. You  two  ladies  must  take  the  watch  to-day,  with 
one  of  these  gentlemen  within  call.  I will  give  you 
full  directions  for  my  patient’s  treatment,  and  will  see 
him  again  in  the  afternoon.” 

^^Does  my  father’s  present  condition  admit  of  my 
leaving  him  to  go  and  look  after  the  works  this  morn- 
ing ?”  inquired  Mr.  Fabian,  who  had  spent  the  night  at 
Eockhold. 


135 


136 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


^^Yes,”  replied  the  doctor,  after  some  little  hesitation. 
‘‘Yes;  I think  so.  If  your  presence  here  should  be  ab- 
solutely needed,  you  can  be  promptly  summoned,  you 
know ; but  one  of  you  should  remain  on  guard.’’ 

“Clarence  will  stay  home,  then,”  replied  Mr.  Fabian. 

“Doctor,  you  heard  my  grandfather  order  me  to  leave 
Roekhold  this  morning  to  join  my  regiment.  Now, 
what  do  you  think  ? May  I see  him  before  I go  ?”  in- 
quired the  young  lieutenant. 

“I  will  let  you  know  when  he  wakes,”  said  Dr. 
Cummins. 

“Must  you  leave  us  to-day.  Sylvan  ? Could  you  not 
be  excused  under  the  circumstances?”  inquired  Mrs. 
Eockharrt. 

“No ; I could  not  be  excused.  I must  join  my  regi- 
ment, Rose.” 

“But,  Cora ! Oh,  Cora ! You  will  not  leave  us  now  ? 
You  are  not  under  orders,  and — and — I wish  you  would 
stay,”  pleaded  Rose. 

“I  shall  stay,  Rose.  It  is  as  much  my  bounden  duty 
to  stay  as  it  is  that  of  Sylvan  to  go,”  answered  Cora. 

“Oh,  that  is  such  a relief  to  my  feelings !”  exclaimed 
the  other  lady. 

Dr.  Cummins  looked  up  in  surprise,  glancing  from 
one  woman  to  the  other. 

Sylvan  undertook  to  explain. 

“My  sister  was  going  out  with  me,  sir.  I am  her 
nearest  relative,  as  she  is  mine,  and  we  do  not  like  to  be 
separated.” 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  137 

‘‘Ah!”  said  the  doctor.  “And  now,  very  properly, 
she  decides  to  stay  here.” 

“For  a while.  Dr.  Cummins — until  the  case  of  my 
grandfather  shall  be  decided.  Later  I shall  certainly 
follow  my  brother,”  Cora  explained. 

Before  another  word  could  be  uttered  the  door  opened  - 
and  Violet  Rockharrt,  in  a silver  gray  carriage  dress, 
entered  the  room.  Mr.  Fabian  sprang  up  to  meet  her. 

“My  dear  child,  why  have  you  come  out  here  against 
all  orders?” 

Mrs.  Fabian  Rockharrt  saluted  all  the  company  at  the 
breakfast,  who  had  risen  to  receive  her,  and  then  re- 
plied to  her  husband’s  question. 

“I  have  come  to  see  how  our  father  is.  It  was  twelve 
o’clock  last  night  when  your  messenger  arrived  at  the 
Banks  and  told  me  that  you  would  not  be  able  to  return 
that  night,  because  an  accident  had  happened  to  Mr. 
Rockharrt.  Not  a dangerous  one,  but  yet  one  that  would 
keep  you  with  him  for  some  hours.  I know  very  well 
how  accidents  are  smoothed  over  in  being  reported  to 
women;  so  I was  not  reassured  by  that  clause,  and  I 
would  have  set  out  for  Rockhold  immediately  if  it  had 
not  been  a starless  midnight,  making  the  road  danger- 
ous to  others  as  well  as  myself.  But  I was  up  at  day- 
break to  start  this  morning,  and  here  I am.” 

“Sit  down,  my  child;  sit  down.  You  look  pale  and 
tired.  Ah!  did  not  our  good  doctor  here  forbid  you 
taking  long  walks  or  rides  ?” 

“I  know,  Fabian;  but  sometimes  a woman  must  be  a 


138 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


law  to  herself.  It  was  my  duty  to  come  in  person  and 
inquire  after  our  father;  so  I came,  even  against  or- 
ders,” said  Violet,  composedly. 

“Now  look  at  that  little  creature,  doctor.  She  seems 
as  soft  as  a dove,  as  gentle  as  a lamb;  but  she  is  per- 
fectly lawless.  She  defies  me,  abuses  me,  and  upon  oc- 
casions thrashes  me.  V^ould  you  believe  it  of  her?”  de- 
manded Mr.  Fabian,  gazing  with  pride  and  delight  on 
his  good  little  wife. 

“Oh,  yes ; I can  quite  believe  it.  She  looks  a perfect 
shrew,  vixen,  virago!  Oh,  how  I pity  you,  Mr.  Fabian!” 
said  the  doctor. 

Cora  filled  out  a cup  of  coffee  and  brought  it  to  the 
visitor,  whispering: 

“I  am  glad  you  came,  Violet.  I do  not  believe  it  will 
hurt  you  one  bit  in  any  way.” 

“Can  I see  father  ? I want  to  see  for  myself,  and  to 
kiss  him,  and  tell  him  how  sorry  I am;  and  I want  to 
help  to  nurse  him.  Say,  can  I see  him  ?” 

“Not  just  now,  dear.  None  of  us  have  seen  him  since 
he  was  put  to  bed  last  evening  except  the  doctor  and  the 
nurse ; but  in  the  course  of  the  day  you  may.  You  will 
spend  the  day  with  us  ?”  Cora  inquired. 

“I  will  spend  the  day  and  the  night,  and  to-morrow 
and  to-morrow  night,  and  this  week  and  next  week,  and 
just  as  long  as  I can  be  helpful  and  useful  to  father,  if 
you  and  mamma  there  will  permit  me.  And,  by  the  way, 
I have  not  kissed  mamma  yet.  Only  shaken  hands  with 
her.”  And  so  saying,  Violet  put  down  her  untasted  cup 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  139 

of  coffee,  went  around  the  table,  put  her  arms  round 
Rose’s  neck,  and  kissed  her  fondly,  saying : 

^^You  are  very  sweet  and  lovely,  mamma,  and  I know 
I shall  love  you.  I wanted  to  come  and  see  you  before 
this,  but  the  doctor  there  wouldn’t  allow  it.  But  now  I 
have  come  to  stay  as  long  as  I may  be  wanted.” 

should  want  you  forever,  sweet  wood  violet,” 
cooed  Rose,  returning  her  caresses. 

Mr.  Fabian  turned  away,  half  in  wrath,  half  in  mirth. 
He  was  much  too  good-humored  to  be  seriously  offended 
as  he  said  to  the  doctor : 

^^Ah!  these  dove-eyed  darlings!  How  mistaken  we 
are  in  them ! You  are  an  old  bachelor,  Cummins ; but 
if  you  should  ever  take  it  into  your  head  to  repent  of 
celibacy,  don’t  marry  a dove-eyed  darling,  if  you  don’t 
want  to  be  defied  all  the  days  of  your  life.” 

won’t,”  said  the  doctor;  ^^but  now  I must  go  and 
see  how  Mr.  Rockharrt  is  getting  on,  and  take  leave  to 
look  after  my  other  patients.” 

And  he  left  the  breakfast  room,  followed  by  Mr.  Fa- 
bian. 

^^You  and  Sylvan  will  not  leave  Rockhold  for  some 
time,”  said  Violet,  with  a little  air  of  triumph. 

Sylvan  must  leave  this  morning.  I shall  remain 
until  grandfather  gets  well,”  said  Cora,  ^^or  dies,”  she 
added,  mentally. 

In  a few  minutes  Dr.  Cummins  returned  and  said 
that  Mr.  Rockharrt  would  see  Lieutenant  Haught  first, 
and  afterward  the  othei  members  of  his  family. 


110 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


Then  the  physician  bade  the  family  good-morning, 
and  left  the  house. 

Sylvan  went  upstairs  to  their  grandfather’s  room. 

There  they  found  Mr.  Fabian  seated  by  the  bedside. 

Old  Martha  had  gone  to  her  garret  to  lie  down  and 
rest.  The  windows  were  all  open,  and  the  summer  sun 
and  air  lighted  and  cooled  the  room. 

‘‘Come  here.  Sylvan,”  said  the  Iron  King,  and  his 
voice,  though  hoarse  and  feeble,  was  peremptory. 

The  young  lieutenant  went  up  to  the  bedside  and 
said: 

“I  hope  you  are  feeling  better  this  morning,  sir.” 

“I  hope  so,  too ; hut  don’t  let  us  waste  words  in  com- 
pliments. Cummins  tells  me  that  you  wished  to  bid  me 
good-by.” 

“Yes,  sir.” 

“Well,  bid  good-by,  then.” 

“Grandfather,  have  you  anything  to  say  to  me  before 
I go  ?”  respectfully  inquired  the  young  man. 

“If  I had,  don’t  you  suppose  that  I could  say  it? 
Well,  if  you  wish  advice,  I will  give  it  you  very  briefly: 
You  are  an  ‘officer  and  a gentleman’ — ^that  is  the  phras^ 
I believe  ?” 

“I  hope  so,  sir.” 

“Then  behave  as  one  under  all  circumstances.  Never 
lie — even  to  women;  never  cheat — even  the  govern- 
ment. That  is  all.  I cannot  bless  you  if  that  is  what 
you  want.  No  man  can  bless  another — ^not  even  the 
Pope  of  Rome  or  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury.  No 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


141 


one  under  heaven  can  bless  you.  You  can  only  bless 
yourself  by  doing  your  whole  duty  under  all  circum- 
stances. You  will  have  men  in  authority  over  you. 
Obey  them.  You  will  have  authority  over  other  men. 
Make  them  obey  you.  There,  good-by !”  said  old  Aaron 
Eockharrt,  holding  out  his  hand  to  his  grandson. 

Sylvan  noticed  how  that  hand  shook  as  its  aged  owner 
held  it  up.  He  took  it,  lifted  it  to  his  lips,  and  pressed 
it  to  his  heart. 

“There,  there;  don’t  he  foolish.  Sylvan!  Good-by! 
Good-by!  And  you,  Eabian!  What  are  you  loitering 
here  for,  when  you  should  be  looking  after  the  works 
impatiently  demanded  the  Iron  King. 

“The  carriage  stands  at  the  door,  sir,  waiting  to  take 
Sylvan  to  his  train.  I shall  go  with  him  as  far  as  North 
End  and  try  to  do  your  work  there  in  addition  to  my 
own.” 

“Quite  right!  Where  is  Clarence?” 

“At  North  End,  sir,  where  he  went  directly  after  he 
saw  you  safe  in  bed  under  the  doctor’s  care,”  said  Mr. 
Fabian,  lying  as  fast  as  a horse  could  trot. 

“Very  well.  Send  the  two  women  here.” 

“There  happen  to  be  three  women  below  at  present, 
sir.  Violet  has  come  to  see  you.” 

In  the  morning  sitting  room  below  stairs  Sylvan  and 
Fabian  found  the  three  ladies  with  Clarence,  all  in  a 
state  of  anxiety  to  hear  from  the  injured  man. 

Sylvan  was  more  agitated  in  leaving  his  sister  than 
any  young  soldier  should  have  been.  At  the  last,  the 


142 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


very  last  instant  of  parting,  when  Mr.  Eabian  had  left 
the  parlor  and  was  on  his  way  to  the  carriage,  Sylvan 
turned  back  and  for  the  third  time  clasped  Cora  in  his 
arms. 

“Never  mind.  Sylvan;  as  soon  as  I possibly  can,  with- 
out violating  my  duty  to  the  only  one  on  earth  to  whom 
I owe  any  duty,  I shall  go  out  to  you.  I can  see  now, 
now  in  this  hour  of  parting,  how  very  right  I was  in  de- 
ciding to  go  with  you.  My  journey  is  not  abandoned, 
it  is  only  postponed.  God  bless  you,  my  dear.” 

After  standing  at  the  front  door  until  they  had 
watched  the  carriage  out  of  sight,  the  three  went  upstairs 
and  softly  entered  the  room  of  the  injured  man,  so  softly 
that  he  did  not  hear  their  entrance.  They  stood  in  a 
silent  group,  believing  him  to  be  asleep,  and  afraid  to 
sit  down,  lest  a chair  should  creak  and  wake  him  up. 

In  a few  seconds,  however,  they  heard  him  clear 
his  throat,  knew  that  he  was  awake,  and  went  up  to 
his  bedside. 

Rose  spoke,  gently,  for  all. 

“You  sent  for  us,  Mr.  Eockharrt.  We  are  all  here, 
and  we  hope  that  you  are  much  better,”  she  said. 

“Oh,  you  do ! Stand  there — all  three  of  you — at  the 
foot  of  the  bed,  so  that  I can  see  you  without  turning.” 

The  three  women  obeyed,  placing  themselves  in  line 
as  he  had  directed,  and  perceived  that  he  lay  upon  the 
flat  of  his  back,  looking  straight  before  him,  because  he 
could  not  turn  on  either  side  without  great  pain. 

He  scanned  them  and  then  said : 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


143 


‘^Ah,  Violet,  you  are  there ! You  have  a proper  sense 
of  duty,  my  girl.  So  you  have  come  to  see  how  it  is 
with  me  yourself,  eh?” 

“Yes,  father;  and  also  to  stay  and  help  nurse  you, 
if  I may  be  permitted  to  do  so.” 

“Rubbish ! My  wife  can  nurse  me.  It  is  her  place. 
I don’t  want  a lot  of  other  women  around  me ! I won’t 
have  more  than  one  in  the  room  with  me  at  a time! 
Violet,  get  into  your  carriage  and  return  to  your  home.” 

“Oh,  papa,  how  have  I offended  you  ?” 

“Not  in  any  way  as  yet ; but  you  will  offend  me  if 
you  disobey  me.  You  must  go  home  at  once.  You  are 
not  in  a condition  to  be  of  any  service  here.  You  would 
only  injure  your  own  health,  and  distract  the  attention 
of  these  women  from  me.  Wherever  there  is  a lot  of 
women,  there  is  sure  to  be  more  talk  than  duty.  So  you 
must  go.  When  I get  well,  and  you  get  strong  again, 
you  may  come  and  stay  as  long  as  you  like.  So,  now, 
bid  me  good-by  and  be  off  with  yourself.” 

Violet,  feeling  much  chagrined,  went  around  to  the 
side  of  the  bed,  took  the  hand  of  her  father-in-law,  bent 
over  and  kissed  him  good-by. 

“Now,  Cora,  take  her  out  and  see  her  off.” 

Violet  took  leave  of  her  young  mother-in-law,  and 
followed  Cora  from  the  sick  room. 

“Now,  Rose,  close  all  the  shutters;  darken  the  room 
and  sit  beside  the  head  of  my  bed.  Don’t  speak  until 
you  are  spoken  to;  don’t  move;  don’t  even  read;  but 
sit  still,  silent,  attentive,  while  I try  to  rest.” 


144 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


Rose  obeyed  all  his  orders,  and  then  sat  like  a dead 
woman,  back  in  the  resting  chair  beside  him.  She  had 
noted  how  weak  and  husky  his  voice  had  been  in  giving 
his  instructions  to  his  “womankind,”  with  what  pain 
and  effort  he  had  spoken,  while  his  strong  will  bore  him 
through  the  interview,  which,  short  as  it  was,  had  left 
him  prostrate  and  exhausted. 

Rose  wished  to  offer  him  the  cordial  the  doctor  had 
left,  but  he  had  ordered  her  not  to  move  or  speak  until 
she  was  spoken  to,  and  Rose  dared  not  disobey.  She 
did  not  know  what  might  be  the  result  of  her  passive 
obedience  to  him,  nor,  to  tell  the  truth,  did  she  very 
much  care.  Rose  was  weary  of  life ! 

Meanwhile  Cora  and  Violet  went  downstairs  to- 
gether. 

At  six  o’clock  the  doctor  came,  and  made  anxious  in- 
quiries into  the  state  of  the  injured  man ; but  Cora  could 
only  report  that  he  seemed  to  have  passed  a quiet  day, 
watched  by  his  wife,  but  unapproached  by  any  other 
member  of  his  family,  all  of  whom  he  had  forbidden  to 
come  near  him  unless  called. 

“A  very  wise  provision,  my  dear  Mrs.  Rothsay.  I 
will  go  up  now  and  see  him,”  said  Dr.  Cummins. 

A few  minutes  later  Rose  came  down  and  entered  the 
parlor,  looking  very  faint  and  white  except  for  two 
small,  deep  crimson  spots  on  the  cheeks. 

“Here,  Rose,  take  this  chair,”  said  Violet,  vacating 
the  most  comfortable  seat  in  the  room,  on  which  she  had 
sat  all  the  afternoon. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


115 

The  woman  dropped  into  it,  too  weak  and  weary  to 
stand  upon  ceremony. 

^^How  did  you  leave  grandfather 

hardly  know;  but  doing  well,  I should  think,  for 
he  has  been  dozing  all  day,  only  waking  up  to  ask  for 
iced  beef  tea,  or  milk  punch,  and  then,  when  he  had 
drunk  one  or  the  other,  going  to  sleep  again.  I have 
been  fanning  him  all  the  time  except  when  I have  been 
feeding  him.’’ 

While  Rose  was  sipping  some  tea  which  had  been 
promptly  brought  to  her,  the  doctor  came  in  and  re- 
ported Mr.  Rockharrt  as  doing  extremely  well. 

^^You  will  stay  to  dinner  with  us.  Dr.  Cummins?” 
said  Rose. 

^Thank  you,  my  dear  lady,  but  I cannot.  I shall  just 
wait  to  see  Mr.  Fabian  Rockharrt  and  give  my  report 
to  him  in  all  its  details,  as  I promised,  and  then  hurry 
home  and  go  to  bed.  I have  had  no  sleep  for  the  last 
twenty-four — no,  bless  my  soul ! not  for  the  last  thirty- 
six  hours!”  replied  the  physician.  He  had  scarcely 
ceased  to  speak  when  Mr.  Fabian  entered  the  room. 

‘^Oh!  home  so  soon!”  exclaimed  Violet,  starting  up 
to  meet  him. 

^^Yes ; how  is  the  father  ?” 

^^There  is  the  doctor ; ask  him.” 

^^Ah,  Dr.  Cummins ! Good-afternoon  ? How  is  your 
patient  ?” 

^^Come  with  me  into  the  library,  Mr.  Fabian,  and  I 
will  give  you  a full  report.” 


146 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


“Where  is  Clarence  inquired  Fabian. 

“Upstairs  somewhere.  He  did  not  come  to  lunch- 
cheon,”  replied  Cora. 

“Poor  Clarence!  He  is  awfully  cut  up!”  said  Mr. 
Fabian,  as  be  left  the  parlor  with  Dr.  Cummins.  As 
they  passed  through  the  hall  they  were  joined  by  Mr. 
Clarence,  who  had  just  heard  of  the  doctor’s  arrival. 

“I  left  him  very  comfortable,  carefully  watched  by 
old  Martha,  who  has  waked  up  refreshed  after  a ten- 
hours’  sleep  and  has  taken  her  place  by  his  bedside. 
There  is  no  immediate  cause  for  anxiety,  my  dear  Clar- 
ence,” said  the  physician,  in  reply  to  the  questions  put 
to  him. 

“The  worst  of  it  is,  doctor,  that  while  it  was  abso- 
lutely necessary  for  me  to  stay  here  during  Fabian’s  ab- 
sence, I dare  not  go  into  my  father’s  room.  He  thinks 
that  I am  at  North  End.  And  he  would  become  very 
angry  if  he  knew  that  I was  here  against  his  will  and 
his  commands.  Besides  which,  I hate  deception  and 
concealment,”  complained  Mr.  Clarence. 

“It  is  rather  a difficult  case  to  manage,  my  boy,  but  it 
is  absolutely  necessary  that  either  yourself  or  your 
brother  should  be  on  hand  here  day  and  night;  it  is 
equally  necessary  that  your  father  should  be  kept  quiet. 
So  I see  nothing  better  to  do  than  for  you  to  stay  here 
and  keep  still  until  you  are  wanted,”  replied  the  doctor. 

And  then  the  three  went  into  the  little  library  or  office 
at  the  rear  of  the  hall,  and  what  further  was  said  among 
them  was  whispered  with  closed  doors.  At  the  end  of 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  147 

fifteen  minutes  they  came  out.  The  doctor  took  leave 
of  all  the  family  and  went  away. 

Mr.  Fabian  went  up  to  his  father’s  door  and  rapped 
softly. 

Old  Martha  came  to  admit  him. 

^^How  is  your  master?  Is  he  awake?  Can  I see 
him  ?”  he  inquired. 

^^Surely,  Marse  Fabe ! Ole  marse  wide  awake,  berry 
easy,  and  ’quiring  arter  you.  Come  in,  sar !” 

Mr.  Fabian  entered  the  room,  which  was  in  some 
darkness  from  the  closed  window  shutters,  and  went  up 
to  his  father’s  bed. 

hope  you  are  better,  sir,”  he  said. 

don’t  know,”  said  the  injured  man,  in  a faint  voice. 

^^How  are  the  works  getting  on  ?” 

^Tamously,  sir!  Splendidly!  Pray  do  not  feel  the 
least  anxiety  on  that  score.” 

^^Where  is  Clarence  ?” 

^^At  North  End,  sir.  Of  course,  he  would  not  think 
of  leaving  the  works  while  both  you  and  myself  are  ab~ 
sent.” 

don’t  know,”  sighed  the  weary  invalid,  for  the 
third  time.  ^^But  you  had  better  not,  either  of  you,  at- 
tempt to  deceive  me  while  I am  lying  here  on  my  back.” 

^^Not  for  the  world,  my  dear  father ! Pray  do  not  be 
doubtful  or  anxious.  We  are  your  dutiful  sons,  sir,  and 
our  first ” 

^^Rubbish !”  exclaimed  the  broken  Iron  King.  ^^That 
will  do ! Go  send  Rose  to  me.  Why  the  deuce  did  she 


148 


AN  UNREQUITED.  LOVE 


leave  ? I — I — I ” His  voice  dropped  into  an  inar- 

ticulate murmur. 

Mr.  Fabian  bent  over  him,  and  saw  that  he  had  dozed 
off  to  sleep. 

“Dat’s  de  way  he’s  been  a-goin’  on  eber  since  de 
doctor  lef’.  It’s  de  truck  wot  de  doctor  give  him,”  said 
old  Martha. 

Fabian  stole  on  tiptoe  out  of  the  room.  Dinner  was 
waiting  for  him  downstairs.  He  would  not  deliver  his 
father’s  selfish  message  to  Rose,  because  he  wished  the 
poor  creature  to  dine  in  peace.  He  told  Clarence  to  give 
her  his  arm  to  the  dining  room. 

While  they  were  all  at  dinner  Violet  explained  to  her 
husband  why  Mr.  Eockharrt  had  directed  her  to  return 
home.  Poor  Violet  was  very  loth  to  stir  up  any  ill  feel- 
ing between  the  father  and  son;  but  she  need  not  have 
feared.  Mr.  Fabian  understood  the  autocrat  too  well 
to  take  offense  at  the  dismissal  of  his  wife. 

The  next  morning  when  the  family  physician  arrived, 
and  visited  the  injured  man,  he  found  him  suffering 
from  restlessness  and  a rising  fever. 

He  reported  this  condition  to  Mr.  Clarence  Eock- 
harrt, left  very  particular  directions  for  the  treatment  of 
the  patient,  and  then  took  leave,  with  the  promise  to  re- 
turn in  the  evening  and  remain  all  night. 

Later  in  the  afternoon  the  doctor,  having  finished  all 
other  professional  calls  for  the  day,  arrived  at  Rockhold. 
He  found  his  patient  delirious.  He  took  up  his  post  by 
the  sick  bed  for  the  night,  and  then  peremptorily  sent 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  149 

off  the  worn-out  watcher,  Rose,  to  the  rest  she  so  much 
needed. 

The  condition  of  Aaron  Eockharrt  was  very  critical. 
Irritative  fever  had  set  in  with  great  violence,  and  this 
was  the  beginning  of  the  hard  struggle  for  life  that 
lasted  many  days,  during  which  delirium,  stupor,  and 
brief  lucid  intervals  followed  each  other  with  the  rise 
and  fall  of  the  fever.  A professional  nurse  was  engaged 
to  attend  him;  but  the  real  burden  of  the  nursing  fell 
on  Rose. 


CHAPTER  X 


A VOLUNTARY  EXPIATION 

Rose  never  lost  patience.  She  stayed  by  the  bedside 
always  until  the  doctor  turned  her  out  of  the  room.  She 
came  back  the  moment  she  was  called,  night  or  day. 

Weeks  passed  and  Mr.  Rockharrt  grew  better  and 
stronger,  but  Rose  grew  worse  and  weaker.  The  fin© 
autumn  weather  that  braced  up  the  convalescent  old 
man  chilled  and  depressed  the  consumptive  young 
woman. 

It  was  certain  that  Mr.  Rockharrt  would  entirely  re- 
gain his  health  and  strength,  and  even  take  out  a new 
lease  of  life. 

“I  never  saw  any  one  like  your  grandfather  in  all  my 
long  practice,”  said  the  doctor  to  Cora  one  morning, 
after  he  had  left  his  patient;  “he  is  a wonder  to  me. 
nothing  but  a catastrophe  could  ever  have  laid  him  on 
an  invalid  bed;  and  no  other  man  that  I know  could 
have  recovered  from  such  injuries  as  he  has  sustained. 
Why,  in  a month  from  this  time  he  will  be  as  well  as 
ever.  He  has  a constitution  of  tremendous  strength.” 

“But  the  poor  wife,”  said  Cora. 

“Ah,  poor  soul!”  sighed  the  doctor. 

150 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


151 


^^And  yet  a little  while  ago  she  seemed  such  a perfect 
picture  of  health/^ 

^^My  dear,  wherever  you  see  that  abnormally  clear, 
fresh,  semi-transparent  complexion,  be  sure  it  is  a bad 
sign — a sign  of  unsoundness  within/^ 

^^Can  nothing  be  done  for  Rose 

^^Tes ; and  I am  doing  it  as  much  as  she  will  let  me. 
I advise  a warmer  climate  for  the  coming  winter.  Mr. 
Eockharrt  will  be  able  to  travel  by  the  first  of  Novem- 
ber, and  he  should  then  take  her  to  Florida.  But,  you 
see,  he  pooh-poohs  the  whole  suggestion.  Well, 
willful  man  must  have  his  way,’  ” said  the  doctor,  as  he 
took  up  his  hat  and  bade  the  lady  good-by. 

A week  after  this  conversation,  on  the  day  on  which 
Aaron  Eockharrt  first  sat  up  in  his  easy  chair.  Rose  had 
her  first  hemorrhage  from  the  lungs.  It  laid  her  on  the 
bed  from  which  she  was  never  to  rise. 

Cora  became  her  constant  and  tender  nurse.  Rose 
was  subdued  and  patient.  A few  days  after  this  she  said 
to  the  lady : 

^Tt  seems  to  me  that  my  own  dear  father,  who  has 
been  absent  from  my  thoughts  for  so  many  years,  has 
drawn  very  near  his  poor  child  in  these  last  few  months, 
and  nearer  still  in  the  last  feAv  days.  I do  not  see  him, 
nor  hear  him,  nor  feel  him  by  any  natural  sense,  but  I 
do  perceive  him.  I do  perceive  that  he  is  trying  to  do 
me  good,  and  that  he  is  glad  I am  coming  to  him  so 
soon.  I am  sorry  for  all  the  wrong  I have  done,  and  I 
hope  the  Lord  will  forgive  me.  But  how  can  I expect 


152 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


Him  to  do  it,  when  I can  scarcely  forgive — even  now 
on  my  dying  bed  I can  scarcely  forgive — ^my  stepmother 
and  her  husband  for  the  neglect  and  cruelty  that 
wrecked  my  life  ? Oh,  but  I forget.  You  know  nothing 
of  all  this.” 

Cora  did  know.  Fabian  had  told  her;  but  he  had  also 
exacted  a promise  of  secrecy  from  her;  so  she  said  noth- 
ing in  reply  to  this. 

Rose  continued,  speaking  in  a low,  meditative  tone : 

“Yes,  I am  sorry,  sorry  for  the  evil  I have  done.  It 
was  not  worth  while  to  do  it.  Life  is  too  short — ^too 
short  even  at  its  longest.  But,  oh!  I had  such  a pas- 
sionate ambition  for  recognition  by  the  great  world ! for 
the  admiration  of  society ! Every  one  whom  I met  in 
our  quiet  lives  told  me,  either  by  words  or  looks,  that  I 
was  beautiful — very  beautiful — and  I believed  them ; 
and  I longed  for  wealth  and  rank,  for  dress  and  jewels, 
to  set  off  this  beauty,  and  for  ease  and  luxury  to  enjoy 
life.  Oh,  what  vanity ! Oh,  what  selfishness ! And  here 
I am,  with  the  grave  yawning  to  swallow  me  up,”  she 
murmured,  drearily. 

“No,  dear ; no,”  said  Cora,  gently  laying  her  hand  on 
the  blue-white  forehead  of  the  fading  woman.  “No, 
Bose.  No  grave  opens  for  any  human  being;  but  only 
for  the  body  that  the  freed  human  being  has  left  be- 
hind. It  is  not  the  grave  that  opens  for  you.  Rose,  but 
your  father’s  arms.  Would  you  like  to  see  a minister, 
dear  ?” 


“If  Mr.  Rockharrt  does  not  object.” 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


153 


^^Then  you  shall  see  one/^ 

Rose’s  sick  room  was  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  hall 
from  Mr.  Eockharrt’s  convalescent  apartment. 

If  the  Iron  King  felt  any  sorrow  at  his  young  wife’s 
mortal  illness,  he  did  not  show  it.  If  he  felt  any  com- 
punction for  having  taxed  her  strength  to  its  extremity, 
he  did  not  express  it.  He  maintained  his  usual  stolid 
manner,  and  merely  issued  general  orders  that  no  trou- 
ble or  expense  must  be  spared  in  her  treatment  and  in 
her  interest.  He  came  into  her  room  every  day,  leaning 
on  the  arm  of  his  servant,  to  ask  her  how  she  felt,  and  to 
sit  a few  minutes  by  her  bed. 

Violet  could  no  longer  come  to  Eockhold,  because  a 
little  Violet  bud,  only  a few  days  old,  kept  her  a close 
prisoner  at  the  Banks.  But  Mr.  Fabian  came  twice  a 
week.  The  minister  from  the  mission  church  at  North 
End  came  very  frequently,  and  as  he  was  an  earnest, 
fervent  Christian,  his  ministrations  were  most  beneficial 
to  Rose. 

On  the  day  that  Mr.  Rockharrt  first  rode  out,  the  end 
came,  rather  suddenly  at  the  last. 

There  was  no  one  in  the  house  but  Cora  and  the  serv- 
ants, Mr.  Clarence  having  gone  back  to  North  End. 
Cora  had  left  Rose  in  the  care  of  old  Martha,  and  had 
come  downstairs  to  write  a letter  to  her  brother.  She 
had  scarcely  written  a page  when  the  door  was  opened 
by  Martha,  who  said,  in  a frightened  tone: 

^^Come,  Miss  Cora — come  quick ! there’s  a bad  change. 


154 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


I’m  ’feared  to  leave  her  a minute,  even  to  call  you. 
Please  come  quick!” 

Both  went  to  the  bedside  of  the  dying  woman,  over 
whose  face  the  dark  shadows  of  death  were  creeping. 
Bose  could  no  longer  raise  her  hand  to  beckon  or  raise 
her  voice  to  call,  but  she  fixed  her  eyes  imploringly  on 
Cora,  who  bent  low  to  catch  any  words  she  might  wish 
to  say.  She  was  gasping  for  breath  as  in  broken  tones 
she  whispered : 

“Cora — the  Lord — ^has  given  me — ^grace — to  forgive 
them.  Write  to — my  stepmother.  Pabian — will  tell  you 
— ^where ” 

“Yes;  I will,  I will,  dear  Hose,”  said  Cora,  gazing 
down  through  blinding  tears,  as  she  stooped  and  pressed 
her  warm  lips  on  the  death-cold  lips  beneath  them. 

Rose  lifted  her  failing  eyes  to  Cora’s  sympathetic 
face  and  never  moved  them  more;  there  they  became 
fixed. 

The  sound  of  approaching  wheels  was  heard. 

“It  is  my  grandfather.  Go  and  tell  him,”  whispered 
Cora  to  old  Martha,  without  turning  her  head. 

The  woman  left  the  room,  and  in  a few  moments  Mr. 
Eockharrt  entered  it,  leaning  on  the  arm  of  his  valet. 

When  he  approached  the  bed,  he  saw  how  it  was  and 
asked  no  questions.  He  went  to  the  side  opposite  to 
that  occupied  by  Cora,  and  bent  over  the  dying  woman. 

“Rose,”  he  said  in  a low  voice,  “Rose,  my  child.” 

She  was  past  answering,  past  hearing.  He  took  her 
thin,  chill  hand  in  his,  but  it  was  without  life. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


155 


He  bent  still  lower  over  her,  and  whispered : 

‘‘Rose.” 

But  she  never  moved  or  murmured. 

Her  eyes  were  fixed  in  death  on  those  of  Cora. 

Then  suddenly  a smile  came  to  the  dying  face,  light 
dawned  in  the  dying  eyes,  as  she  lifted  them  and  gazed 
away  beyond  Cora’s  form,  and  murmuring  contentedly, 
“Father,  father ” and 

“With  a sigh  of  a great  deliverance,” 
she  fell  asleep. 

They  stood  in  silence  over  the  dead  for  a few  mo- 
ments, and  then  Mr.  Eoekharrt  drew  the  white  coverlet 
up  over  the  ashen  face,  and  then  leaning  on  the  arm  of 
his  servant  went  out  of  the  room. 

Three  days  later  the  mortal  remains  of  Rose  Rock- 
harrt  were  laid  in  the  cemetery  at  North  End, 

It  was  on  the  first  of  November,  a week  after  the  fu- 
neral, that  Mr.  Rockharrt,  for  the  first  time  in  three 
months,  went  to  the  works. 

On  that  day,  while  Cora  sat  alone  in  the  parlor,  a card 
was  brought  to  her — 

“The  Duke  of  Cumbervale.” 

The  Duke  of  Cumbervale  entered  the  parlor. 

Cora  rose  to  receive  him;  the  blood  rushing  to  her 
head  and  suffusing  her  face  with  blushes,  merely  from 
the  vivid  memory  of  the  painful  past  called  up  by  the 
sudden  sight  of  the  man  who  had  been  the  unconscious 


156 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


cause  of  all  her  unhappiness.  Most  likely  the  old  lover 
mistook  the  meaning  of  the  lady’s  agitation  in  his  pres- 
ence, and  ascribed  it  to  a self-flattering  origin. 

However  that  might  have  been,  he  advanced  with  easy 
grace,  and  bowing  slightly,  said : 

^^My  dear  Mrs.  Eothsay,  I am  very  happy  to  see  you 
again ! I hope  I find  you  quite  well 

^^Quite  well,  thank  you,”  she  replied,  recovering  her 
self-control. 

In  the  ensuing  conversation,  Cora  made  knowji  her 
grandfather’s  accident  and  the  death  of  Rose. 

am  truly  grieved  to  have  intruded  at  so  inoppor- 
tune a time,”  asserted  the  visitor,  and  arose  to  take 
leave. 

Then  Cora’s  conscience  smote  her  for  her  inhospita- 
ble rudeness.  Here  was  a man  who  had  crossed  the  sea 
at  her  grandfather’s  invitation,  who  had  reached  the 
country  in  ignorance  of  the  family  trouble;  who  had 
come  directly  from  the  seaport  to  North  End,  and  rid- 
den from  North  End  to  Eockhold — a distance  of  six  or 
seven  miles;  and  she  had  scarcely  given  him  a civil  re- 
ception. And  now  should  she  let  him  go  all  the  way 
back  to  North  End  without  even  offering  him  some  re- 
freshment ? 

Such  a course,  under  such  circumstances,  even  toward 
an  utter  stranger,  would  have  been  unprecedented  in 
her  neighborhood,  which  had  always  been  noted  for  its 
hospitality. 

Yet  still  she  was  afraid  to  offer  him  any  polite  atten- 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


157 


tion,  lest  she  should  in  so  doing  give  him  encourage- 
ment to  urge  his  suit,  that  she  dreaded  to  hear,  and  was 
determined  to  reject. 

It  was  not  until  the  visitor  had  taken  his  hat  in  his 
left  hand,  and  held  out  the  right  to  bid  her  good-morn- 
ing, that  she  forced  herself  to  do  her  hostess^  duty,  and 
say: 

^‘This  is  a very  dull  house,  duke,  but  if  you  can  en- 
dure its  dullness,  I beg  you  will  stay  to  lunch  with  me.’^ 

A smile  suddenly  lighted  up  the  visitor’s  cold  blue 
eyes. 

^Dull,’  madam  ? No  house  can  be  dull — even  though 
darkened  by  a recent  bereavement — which  is  blessed  by 
your  presence.  I thank  you.  I shall  stay  with  much 
pleasure.” 

And  now  I have  done  it ! thought  Cora,  with  vexation. 

At  length  the  clock  struck  two,  the  luncheon  bell 
rang,  and  Cora  arose  with  a smile  of  invitation.  The 
duke  gave  her  his  arm,  they  went  into  the  dining  room. 
The  gray-haired  butler  was  in  waiting.  They  took  their 
places  at  the  table.  Old  John  had  just  set  a plate  of 
lobster  salad  before  the  guest  when  the  sound  of  car- 
riage wheels  was  heard  approaching  the  house.  In  a 
few  minutes  more  there  came  heavy  steps  along  the 
hall,  the  door  opened,  and  old  Aaron  Eockharrt  entered 
the  room.  Cora  and  her  visitor  both  arose. 

^^Ah,  duke!  how  do  you  do?  I got  your  telegram 
on  reaching  North  End ; went  to  the  hotel  to  meet  you, 
and  found  that  you  had  started  for  Eockhold.  Had 


158 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


your  dispatch  arrived  an  hour  earlier  I should  have  gone 
in  my  carriage  to  meet  you,”  said  the  Iron  King  with 
pompous  politeness. 

Now  it  seemed  in  order  for  the  visitor  to  offer  some 
condolence  to  this  bereaved  husband.  But  how  could 
he,  where  the  widower  himself  so  decidedly  ignored  the 
subject  of  his  own  sorrow?  To  have  said  one  word 
about  his  recent  loss  would  have  been,  in  the  world’s 
opinion  and  vocabulary,  “bad  form.” 

“You  are  very  kind,  Mr.  Eockharrt ; and  I thank  you. 
I came  on  quite  comfortably  in  the  hotel  hack,  which 
waits  to  take  me  back,”  was  all  that  he  said. 

“No,  sir!  that  hack  does  not  wait  to  take  you  back. 
I have  sent  it  away.  Moreover,  I settled  your  bill  at  the 
hotel,  gave  up  your  rooms,  saw  your  valet,  and  ordered 
your  luggage  to  be  brought  here.  It  will  arrive  in  an 
hour,”  said  the  Iron  King,  as  he  threw  himself  into  the 
great  leathern  chair  that  the  old  butler  pushed  to  the 
table  for  his  master’s  accommodation. 

The  duke  looked  at  the  old  man  in  a state  of  stupe- 
faction. How  on  earth  should  he  deal  with  this  purse- 
proud  egotist,  who  took  the  liberty  of  paying  his  hotel 
bill,  giving  up  his  apartments  and  ordering  his  servants  ? 
and  doing  all  this  without  the  faintest  idea  that  he  was 
committing  an  unpardonable  impertinence. 

“You  are  to  know,  duke,  that  from  the  time  you  en- 
tered upon  my  domain  at  North  End,  you  became  my 
guest — mine,  sir!  John,  that  Johannisberg.  Fill  the 
duke’s  glass.  My  own  importation,  sir;  twelve  years 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


159 


in  my  cellar.  You  will  scarcely  find  its  equal  anywliere. 
Your  liealtli,  sir/’ 

The  duke  bowed  and  sipped  his  wine. 

His  future  bearing  to  this  old  barbarian  required  ma- 
ture reflection.  Only  for  the  duke’s  infatuation  with 
Cora,  it  would  have  not  needed  a minute’s  thought  to 
make  up  his  mind  to  flee  from  Eockhold  forthwith. 

When  luncheon  was  over  Mr.  Rockharrt  invited  the 
duke  into  his  study  to  smoke.  Before  they  had  finished 
their  first  cigar  the  Iron  King,  withdrawing  his  ^dotus” 
and  sending  a curling  cloud  of  vapor  into  the  air,  said : 

^^You  have  something  on  your  mind  that  you  wish  to 
get  off  it,  sir.  Out  with  it!  Nothing  like  frankness 
and  promptness.” 

^^You  are  right,  Mr.  Rockharrt.  I do  wish  to  speak 
to  you  on  a point  on  which  my  life’s  happiness  hangs. 
Your  beautiful  granddaughter— ” 

^^Yes,  yes ! Of  course  I knew  it  concerned  her.” 

^^Then  I hope  you  do  not  disapprove  my  suit.” 
don’t  now,  or  I never  should  have  invited  you  to 
come  over  to  this  country  and  speak  for  yourself.  The 
circumstances  are  different.  When  I refused  my  grand- 
daughter’s hand  to  you  in  London,  it  was  because  I had 
already  promised  it  to  another  man — a fine  fellow, 
worthy  to  become  one  of  my  family,  if  ever  a man  was 
— and  I never  break  a promise.  So  I refused  your  offer, 
and  brought  the  young  woman  home,  and  married  her 
to  Rothsay,  who  disappeared  in  a strange  and  myste- 
rious manner,  as  you  may  have  heard,  and  was  never 


160 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


heard  of  again  until  the  massacre  of  Terrepeur  by  the 
Comanche  Indians — among  whom,  it  seems,  he  was 
a missionary — when  the  news  came  that  he  had  been 
murdered  by  the  savages  and  his  body  burned  in  the  fire 
of  his  own  hut.  But  the  horror  is  two  years  old  now, 
and  I am  at  liberty  to  bestow  the  hand  of  my  widowed 
granddaughter  on  whomsoever  I please.  You’ll  do  as 
well  as  another  man,  and  Heaven  knows  that  I shall  be 
glad  to  have  any  honest  white  man  take  her  off  my  hands, 
for  she  is  giving  me  a deal  of  trouble.” 

“Trouble,  sir  ? I thought  your  lovely  granddaughter 
was  the  comfort  and  staff  of  your  age,  and,  therefore, 
almost  feared  to  ask  her  hand  in  marriage.  But  what  is 
the  nature  of  the  trouble,  if  I may  ask?” 

“Didn’t  I tell  you?  Well,  she  has  got  a missionary 
maggot  in  her  head.  It’s  feeding  on  all  the  little  brains 
she  ever  had.  She  wants  to  go  out  as  a teacher  and 
preacher  to  the  red  heathen,  and  spend  her  life  and  her 
fortune  among  them.  She  wants  to  do  as  Rule  did,  and, 
I suppose,  die  as  Rule  died.  Oh,  of  course — 

‘ ’Twas  so  for  me  young  Edwin  did. 

And  so  for  him  will  I!’ 

And  all  that  rot.  I cannot  break  her  will  without  break- 
ing her  neck.  If  you  can  do  anything  with  her,  take 
her,  in  the  Lord’s  name.  And  joy  go  with  her.” 

The  young  suitor  felt  very  uncomfortable.  He  was 
not  at  all  used  to  such  an  old  ruflfian  as  this.  He  did 


I 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  161 

not  know  how  to  talk  with  him — what  to  reply  to  his 
rude  consent  to  the  proposal  of  marriage.  At  length  his 
compassion,  no  less  than  his  love  for  Cora,  inspired  him 
to  say : 

^^Thank  you,  Mr.  Eockharrt.  I will  take  the  lady,  if 
she  will  do  me  the  honor  to  trust  her  happiness  to  my 
keeping.’^ 

^^More  fool  you ! But  that  is  your  look-out,’^  grunt- 
ed the  old  man. 

The  next  morning  when  they  met  at  breakfast  Mr. 
Eockharrt  invited  his  guest  to  accompany  him  to  North 
End  to  inspect  the  iron  mines  and  foundries,  the  loco- 
motive works  and  all  the  rest  of  it. 

The  duke  had  no  choice  but  to  accept  the  invitation. 

The  two  gentlemen  left  directly  after  breakfast,  and 
Cora  rejoiced  in  the  respite  of  one  whole  day  from  the 
society  of  the  unwelcome  guest. 

She  saw  the  house  set  in  order,  gave  directions  for  the 
dinner,  and  then  retired  to  her  own  private  sitting  room 
to  resume  her  labor  of  love,  the  life  of  her  lost  husband. 

Earlier  than  usual  that  afternoon  the  Iron  King  re- 
turned home  accompanied  by  their  guest  and  by  Mr. 
Clarence,  who  had  come  with  them  in  honor  of  the  duke. 
The  evening  was  spent  in  a rubber  of  whist,  in  which 
Mr.  Eockharrt  and  the  duke,  who  were  partners,  were 
the  winners  over  Cora  and  Mr.  Clarence,  their  antag- 
onists. The  evening  was  finished  at  the  usual  hour  with 
champagne  and  sago  biscuits. 

The  next  morning,  when  Mr.  Eockharrt  and  Mr.  Clar- 


162 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

€iic6  WGIG  about  to  loavG  tho  bousG  for  tho  carriago  to 
take  tbom  to  North  End,  tho  Iron  King  turnod  abruptly 
and  said  to  his  granddaughtor : 

^^By  tho  way,  Cora,  Eabian  and  Violot  aro  coming  to 
dinnor  this  GVGning  to  moot  tho  duko.  It  will  bo  a mor© 
family  affair  upon  a family  occasion,  eh,  duke ! A very 
quiet  little  dinner  among  ourselves.  No  other  guests ! 
Good-morning.^^ 

And  so  saying  the  old  man  left  the  house,  accompa- 
nied by  his  son. 

Cora  returned  to  the  drawing  room,  where  she  had  left 
the  duke.  He  arose  immediately  and  placed  a chair  for 
her ; but  she  waved  her  hand  in  refusal  of  it,  and  stand- 
ing, said  very  politely: 

^^You  will  find  the  magazines  of  the  month  and  the 
newspapers  of  the  day  on  the  table  of  the  library  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  hall,  if  you  feel  disposed  to  look 
over  them.’’ 

^^The  papers  of  to-day!  How  is  it  possible  you  are 
so  fortunate  as  to  get  the  papers  of  to-day  at  so  early  an 
hour,  at  so  remote  a point  ?”  inquired  the  duke,  prob- 
ably only  to  hold  her  in  conversation. 

^^Mr.  Clarence  Eockharrt’s  servant  takes  them  from 
the  earliest  mail  and  starts  with  them  for  Eockhold. 
Mr.  Eockharrt  usually  reads  the  morning  papers  here 
before  his  breakfast.” 

^^A  wonderful  conquest  over  time  and  space  are  our 
modern  locomotives,”  observed  the  duke. 

Cora  assented  and  then  said : 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


163 


^Tray  use  the  full  freedom  of  the  house  and  grounds ; 
of  the  servants  also,  and  the  horses  and  carriages.  Mr. 
Eockharrt  places  them  all  at  your  disposal.  But  please 
excuse  me,  for  I have  an  engagement  which  will  occupy 
me  nearly  all  day.’’ 

The  duke  looked  disappointed,  but  bowed  gravely 
and  answered: 

^Uf  course;  pray  do  not  let  me  be  a hindrance  to 
your  more  important  occupations,  Mrs.  Rothsay.” 

"^Thank  you!”  she  answered,  a little  vaguely,  and 
with  a smile  she  left  the  room, 

^^Rejoicing  to  be  free!” 

The  duke  anathematized  his  fate  in  finding  so  much 
difficulty  in  the  way  of  his  wooing,  his  lady  love  evading 
him  with  a grace,  a coolness,  and  a courtesy  which  he 
was  constrained  to  respect. 

He  strolled  into  the  library,  and  then  loitered  along 
on  the  path  leading  down  to  the  ferry. 

Here  he  found  the  boat  at  the  little  wharf  and  old 
Lebanon  on  duty. 

^^Sarvint,  marster,”  said  the  old  negro,  touching  his 
rimless  old  felt  hat.  ^Hoing  over  ?” 

^^Yes,  my  man,”  said  the  duke,  stepping  on  board  the 
boat. 

^W’ich  dey  calls  me  Uncle  Lebnum  as  mentions  ob 
me  in  dese  parts,  marster,”  the  old  ferryman  explained, 
touching  his  hat. 


164 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


they  do?  Very  well.  I will  remember/^  said 
the  passenger,  as  the  boat  was  pushed  off  from  the  shore. 

^TIow  manw  trips  do  you  make  in  a day  inquired 
the  fare. 

’Pen’s  ’pon  how  many  people  is  a-comin’  an’  goin’. 
Some  days  I don’t  make  no  trip  at  all.  Oder  days,  w’en 
dere’s  a weddin^  or  a fun’al,  I makes  many  as  fifty.” 

The  passage  was  soon  made,  and  the  duke  stepped  out 
on  the  west  bank. 

^Ts  there  any  path  leading  to  the  top  of  this  ridge, 
Uncle — Lemuel  ?”  inquired  the  duke. 

^^Lebnum,  young  marster,  if  you  please!  Lebnum! 
— w’ich  dere  is  no  paff  an’  no  way  o’  gettin’  to  de  top  o’ 
dis  wes’  range,  jes’  ’cause  ’tis  too  orful  steep ; but  ef  you 
go  ’bout  fo’  mile  up  de  road,  you’d  come  to  a paff  leadin’ 
zigzag,  wall  o’  Troy  like,  up  to  Siffier’s  Roos’.” 

‘^Zephyr’s — ^what  ?” 

^^Eoos’,  marster.  Yes,  sar.  W’ich  so  ’tis  call  ’cause 
she  usen  to  roos’  up  dar,  jes’  like  ole  turkey  buzzard. 
W’en  you  get  up  dar,  you  can  see  ober  free  States.  Yes, 
sar,  ’cause  dat  p’ints  w’ere  de  p’ints  o’  boundy  lines  ob 
free  States  meets — yes,  sah !” 

think  I will  take  a walk  to  that  point.  I suppose 
I can  find  the  path  ?” 

^^You  can’t  miss  it,  sah,  if  you  keeps  a sharp  lookout. 
About  fo’  miles  up,  sah.” 

^Wery  well.  Shall  you  be  here  when  I come  back?” 

^^No,  sah.  Dis  ain’t  my  stoppin’  place;  t’other  side 
is.  But  I’ll  be  on  de  watch  dere,  and  ef  you  holler  for 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  165 

me,  I’ll  come.  I’ll  come  anyways,  ’cause  I’ll  be  sure  to 
see  you.” 

^^Quite  so,”  said  the  duke,  as  he  sauntered  up  that 
very  road  between  the  foot  of  the  mountain  and  the  bank 
of  the  river  down  which  the  festive  crowd  had  come  on 
Corona  Haught’s  fatal  wedding  day. 

An  hour’s  leisurely  walk  brought  him  to  the  first 
cleft  in  the  rock. 

From  the  back  of  this  the  path  ascended,  with  many 
a double,  to  the  wooded  shelf  on  which  old  Scythia’s 
hut  had  once  stood — hidden.  When  he  reached  the  spot 
he  found  nothing  but  charred  logs,  blasted  trees,  and 
ashes,  as  if  the  spot  had  been  wasted  by  fire. 

A ray  of  dazzling  light  darted  from  the  ashes  at  his 
feet.  In  some  surprise  he  stooped  to  ascertain  the  cause, 
and  picked  up  a ring ; examined  it  curiously ; found  it 
to  be  set  with  a diamond  of  rare  beauty  and  great  value. 
Then  in  sudden  amazement  he  turned  to  the  reverse  side 
of  the  golden  cup  that  clasped  the  gem  and  saw  a mono- 
gram. 

thought  so,”  he  muttered  to  himself;  thought 
that  there  was  not  another  such  a peculiar  setting  to  any 
gem  in  the  world  but  that;  and  now  the  monogram 
proves  it  beyond  the  shadow  of  a doubt  to  be  the  same. 
But  how  in  the  name  of  wonder  should  the  lost  talis- 
man be  found  here — in  the  ashes  of  some  charcoal  burn- 
er’s hut  ?” 

With  these  words  he  took  out  and  opened  his  pocket- 
book  and  carefully  placed  the  ring  in  its  safest  fold^ 


16G 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


closed  and  returned  the  book  to  his  pocket,  and  arose 
and  left  the  spot.  The  duke  turned  to  descend  the 
mountain. 

At  length,  however,  he  reached  the  foot,  and  then, 
under  the  shadow  of  the  ridge  that  threw  the  whole  nar- 
row valley  into  premature  twilight,  he  hurried  to  the 
ferry. 

The  boat  was  not  there.  Indeed,  he  had  not  expected 
to  find  it  after  what  old  Lebanon  had  told  him.  It  was 
too  obscure  in  the  valley  to  permit  him  to  see  across  the 
river,  so  he  shouted : 

‘^Boat!^^ 

^^All  wight,  young  marster,  but  needn’t  split  your 
t’roat  nor  my  brain  pan,  nider ! I can  hear  you ! I’s 
coming!”  came  the  voice  from  mid-stream,  for  the  old 
ferryman  was  already  half  across  the  river  with  a chance 
passenger. 

In  a few  minutes  more  the  boat  grated  upon  the  shore 
and  the  passenger  jumped  out,  tipped  his  hat  to  the 
duke,  and  hurried  up  the  river  road  toward  North  End. 

^^Dat  pusson  were  Mr.  Thomas  Eylan’,  fust  foreman 
ober  all  de  founderies.  Dere’s  a many  foremen,  but  he 
be  de  fust.  Come  down  long  ob  de  ole  mars  dis  arter- 
noon  arter  some  ’counts,  I reckon,  an’  now  gone  back 
wid  a big  bundle  ob  papers  an’  doc’ments.  Yes,  sah. 
Get  in.  I’s  ready  to  start,”  said  the  ferryman,  as  he 
cleared  a seat  in  the  stern  of  the  boat  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  the  passenger. 

^^Who  used  to  live  in  that  hut  on  the  mountain  before 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  16T 

it  was  burned  down  V’  inquired  the  duke  as  he  took  his 
seat. 

^^Ole  Injun  ’oman  named  Siffier.” 

^^Where  did  she  come  from 

^^Dunno  dat  nudder.  Nobody  dunno.’^ 

^Uan^t  you  tell  me  something  about  such  a strange 
person  who  lived  right  here  in  your  neighborhood 
^Took  yere,  marster,  leas’  said  soones’  mended  where 
she’s  ’cerned.  I can’t  tell  you  on’y  but  jes’  dis:  She 
’peared  yere  ’bout  twenty  year  ago,  or  mo’.  She  built 
dat  dere  hut  wid  her  own  ban’s,  an’  she  use  to  make 
baskets  an’  brackets  an’  sich,  an’  fetch  ’em  roun’  to  de 
people  to  sell.  She  made  ’em  out’n  twigs  an’  ornimented 
’em  wid  red  rose  berries  an’  hollies  an’  sich,  an’  mighty 
purty  dey  was,  an’  de  young  gals  liked  ’em,  dey  did.  An’ 
she  made  her  libbin  outen  de  money  she  got  for  her 
wares.  She  use  to  tell  fortins  too ; an’  folks  did  say  as 
she  tole  true,  an’  some  did  say  as  she  had  a tell-us- 
man  ring  w’ich,  when  she  wore  it,  she  could  see 
inter  de  futur ; but  Lor’,  young  marse,  dey  was  on’y  su- 
percilly  young  idiwuts  as  b’liebed  dat  trash!  But  she 
nebber  would  take  no  money  for  tollin’  fortins — ^nebber ! 
— w’ich  was  curous.  De  berry  day  as  de  gubner-leck 
was  missin’  ob,  she  wanished  too.  When  de  cons’able 
went  to  ’rest  her,  he  foun’  her  gone  an’  de  hut  burnt  up. 
Now,  yere  we  is,  young  marse,  at  de  lan’in’,  an’  you  can 
get  right  out  yere  ’dout  wettin’  your  feet,”  said  the  old 
ferryman,  as  he  pushed  the  boat  up  to  the  dry  end  of  the 
wharf. 


168 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

The  passenger  astonished  the  old  ferryman  by  putting 
a quarter  of  an  eagle  in  his  hand,  and  then  sprang  from 
the  boat  and  ran  up  the  avenue  leading  toward  the 
house.  There  was  no  light  visible  from  the  windows  of 
the  mansion.  The  dinner  party  was  a strictly  private 
family  atfair,  and  nothing  but  the  solitary  lamp  at  the 
head  of  the  avenue  appeared  to  guide  the  pedestrian’s 
steps  through  the  darkness  of  the  newly  fallen  night. 

He  reached  the  house,  and  was  admitted  by  the  old 
servant. 

When  his  toilet  was  complete,  the  duke  went  down  to 
the  drawing  room  to  join  the  family  circle. 

The  dinner,  quiet  as  it  was,  was  a success.  To  be 
sure,  the  diners  were  all  in  deep  mourning  and  the  con- 
versation was  rather  subdued ; but^  then,  it  was  perhaps 
on  that  account  the  more  interesting. 

The  many  courses,  altogether,  occupied  more  than 
an  hour. 

When  the  cloth  was  drawn  and  the  dessert  placed 
upon  the  table,  at  a signal  from  the  Iron  King  the  but- 
ler went  around  the  table  and  filled  every  glass  with 
champagne,  then  returned  and  stood  at  his  master’s 
back.  Mr.  Rockharrt  arose  and  made  a speech,  and  pro- 
posed a toast  that  greatly  astonished  his  company  and 
compromised  two  of  them.  With  his  glass  in  his  hand, 
he  said : 

^‘My  sons,  daughters,  and  friend : You  all  doubtless 
understand  the  object  of  this  family  gathering,  and  also 
why  this  celebration  of  an  interesting  family  event  must 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


169 


necessarily  be  confined  to  the  members  of  the  family. 
In  a word,  it  is  my  duty  and  pleasure  to  announce  to 
you  all  the  betrothal  in  marriage  of  his  grace  the  Duke 
of  Cumbervale  and  my  granddaughter,  Mrs.  Corona 
Eothsay.  I propose  the  health  of  the  betrothed  pair/^ 

Cora  put  down  her  glass  and  turned  livid  with  dismay 
and  indignation.  All  the  other  diners,  the  duke  among 
them,  arose  to  the  occasion  and  honored  the  toast,  and 
then  sat  down,  all  except  the  duke,  who  remained  stand- 
ing, and  though  somewhat  embarrassed  by  this  unex- 
pected proceeding  on  the  part  of  the  Iron  King,  yet 
vaguely  supposed  it  might  be  a local  custom,  and  at  all 
events  was  certainly  very  much  pleased  with  it.  Being 
in  love  and  being  taken  by  surprise,  he  could  not  be  ex- 
pected to  speak  sensibly,  or  even  coherently.  He  said : 

^Tadies  and  gentlemen : This  is  the  happiest  day  of 
my  life  as  yet.  I look  forward  to  a happier  one  in  the 
near  future,  when  I shall  call  the  lovely  lady  at  my  side 
by  the  dearest  name  that  man  can  utter,  and  I shall  call 
you  not  only  my  dear  friends,  but  my  near  relatives. 
I propose  the  health  of  the  greatest  benefactor  of  the 
human  race  now  living.  The  man  who,  by  his  mighty 
life’s  work,  has  opened  up  the  resources  of  nature,  com- 
pelled the  everlasting  mountains  to  give  up  their  price- 
less treasures  of  coal  and  iron  ore;  given  employment 
to  thousands  of  men  and  women ; made  this  savage 
wilderness  of  rock,  and  wood,  and  water  Tloom  and 
blossom  as  the  rose,’  and  hum  with  the  stir  of  industry 


170 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


like  a myriad  hives  of  bees.  I propose  the  health  of  Mr. 
Aaron  Eockharrt.^’ 

All,  except  Cora,  arose  and  honored  this  toast. 

Mr.  Fabian  Eockharrt  replied  on  the  part  of  his 
father. 

Then  the  health  of  each  member  of  the  party  was  pro- 
posed in  turn.  When  this  was  over  the  two  ladies  with- 
drew from  the  table  and  went  into  the  drawing  room, 
leaving  the  gentlemen  to  their  wine. 

^Uh,  my  dear,  dear  Cora ! I am  so  glad ! I wish  yon 
joy  with  my  whole,  whole  heart!’’  exclaimed  Violet, 
effusively,  but  most  sincerely  and  earnestly,  as  she 
clasped  Corona  to  her  heart.  The  next  instant  she  let 
her  go  and  gazed  at  Cora  in  surprise  and  dismay. 

^^Why,  what  is  the  matter,  Cora  ? You  are  as  white 
and  as  cold  as  death.  What  is  the  matter  ?”  demanded 
Violet  as  she  led  and  half  supported  Corona  to  an  easy 
chair,  in  which  the  latter  dropped. 

^^Tell  me,  Cora.  What  is  it,  dear  ? What  can  I do  for 
you  ? Can  I get  you  anything  ? Is  all  this  emotion 
caused  by  the  announcement  of  your  betrothal  to  the 
duke  ?”  demanded  Violet,  hurrying  question  upon 
question,  and  trembling  even  more  than  Cora. 

^^Sit  down,  Violet.  Never  mind  me.  I shall  be  all 
right  presently.  Don’t  be  frightened,  darling,”  said  Cora 
as  well  as  she  could  speak. 

^^But  let  me  do  something  for  you  1’^ 

^‘You  can  do  nothing.” 

^^But  what  caused  this?’^ 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  171 

feelings  have  been  outraged ! — outraged ! That 

is  all!^’ 

^^How  ? How  ? Surely  not  by  Mr.  Eockharrt’s  an- 
nouncement of  your  betrothal  to  the  duke  ? It  was 
rather  embarrassing  to  the  betrothed  pair,  I admit ; but 
surely  it  was  the  proper  thing  to  do.’’ 

^The  proper  thing  to  do!’  Violet,  it  was  false! 
false!  I am  not  betrothed  to  the  duke.  I never  was. 
I never  shall  be.  I would  not  marry  an  emperor  to 
share  a throne.  My  life  is  consecrated  to  good  works 
in  the  very  field  in  which  my  dear  husband  died.  I have 
said  this  to  my  grandfather  and  to  you  all,  over  and 
over  again.  If  it  had  not  been  for  Mr.  Rockharrt’s  ac- 
cident that  endangered  his  life,  I should  have  gone  out 
to  the  Indian  Territory  with  my  brother,  and  should 
have  been  at  work  there  at  this  present  time.  I shall  go 
at  the  first  opportunity.” 

Cora  spoke  very  excitedly,  being  almost  beside  her- 
self with  wrath  and  shame  at  the  affront  which  had  been 
put  upon  her. 

thought  the  duke  was  an  old  admirer  of  yours, 
and  had  come  over  on  purpose  to  marry  you,”  said 
Violet. 

^^That  is  too  true.  He  came  against  my  will.  I have 
never  given  him  the  slightest  encouragement.  How 
could  I when  my  life  is  consecrated  to  the  memory  of 
my  husband  and  to  the  work  he  left  unfinished  ? I fear 
Mr.  Rockharrt  assured  the  duke  of  my  hand ; and  when 
he  heard  the  false  announcement  of  our  betrothal,  he 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


172 

took  it  for  granted  that  it  was  all  right.  He  must  have 
done  so;  though  he  himself  was  much  taken  by  sur- 
prise.” 

“How  very  strange  of  Mr.  Eockharrt  to  do  such  a 
thing.  If  I had  been  you,  Cora,  I should  have  got  up 
and  disclaimed  it.” 

“No,  you  would  not.  You  would  not  have  made  a 
scene  at  the  dinner  table.  I was  in  no  way  responsible 
for  the  announcement  made  by  my  grandfather,  and  in 
no  way  bound  by  it.  The  silence  that  seemed  to  in- 
dorse it  was  rendered  absolutely  necessary  under  the 
circumstances.” 

“But  what  shall  you  do  about  it  ?” 

“As  soon  as  I can  speak  of  it  without  making  a scene, 
I shall  tell  Mr.  Eockharrt  and  the  Duke  of  Cumbervale 
that  a most  reprehensible  liberty  has  been  taken  with 
my  name.  I will  say  that  I never  have  been,  and  never 
will  be,  engaged  to  the  Duke  of  Cumbervale,  or  to  any 
other  man.  That  is  what  I shall  do  about  it.” 

^Tt  would  mortify  the  duke  very  much.” 

“I  do  not  care  if  it  does.” 

“And,  indeed,  it  would  put  Mr.  Eockharrt  into  a ter- 
rible rage.” 

“I  cannot  help  it.  Here  come  the  gentlemen.” 

At  that  moment  the  four  gentlemen  entered  the  draw- 
ing room.  The  duke  came  directly  up  to  Cora,  and 
bending  over  her,  said  in  a low  voice  inaudible  to  the 
rest  of  the  party: 

“Corona,  you  have  blessed  me  beyond  the  power  of 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  173 

words  to  express ! Only  the  dedication  of  a life  to  yonr 
happiness 

There  the  ardent  lover  was  suddenly  stopped  by  the 
cold  look  of  surprise  in  Cora’s  eyes.  His  face  took  on 
a disturbed  expression. 

think  there  is  some  serious  mistake  here,  sir,  which 
we  may  set  right  at  some  more  fitting  opportunity.  Will 
you  have  the  kindness  not  to  refer  to  the  comedy 
enacted  at  our  dinner  table  to-night  T 

will  obey  you,  although  I do  not  understand  you,’^ 
said  the  duke. 

^^Oblige  me,  duke ! I want  to  show  you  a map  of  the 
projected  Oregon  and  Alaska  railroad,”  said  the  Iron 
King,  coming  toward  his  guest  with  a roll  of  parchment 
in  his  hands. 

The  duke  immediately  arose  and  went  off  with  his 
host  to  a distant  table,  where  the  map  was  spread  out, 
and  the  two  gentlemen  sat  down  to  examine  it.  Mr. 
Fabian  and  Mr.  Clarence  came  over  to  join  Cora  and 
Violet. 

^^This  is  a pretty  march  you  have  stolen  on  us,  Cora ! 
I had  no  more  idea  of  this  than  the  man  in  the  moon ! 
But  I congratulate  you,  my  dear ! I congratulate  you ! 
Your  present  from  me  shall  be  a set  of  the  most  splendid 
diamonds  that  can  be  got  together  by  the  diamond  mer- 
chants of  Europe. . No  mere  set  that  can  be  picked  up 
ready  set,  eh  ? Diamonds  that  shall  grace  a duchess,  my 
dear!”  said  Mr.  Fabian,  ostentatiously. 

‘^Cora,  my  dear,  I was  as  much  surprised  as  Fabian. 


174. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


But,  oh!  I was  happy  for  your  sake.  The  duke  is  a 
good  fellow,  I am  sure,  and  awfully  in  love  with  you. 
Ah!  didn’t  he  offer  a just  and  heartfelt  tribute  to  the 
father ! I declare,  Cora,  I never  fully  appreciated  my 
father,  or  realized  what  a great  benefactor  he  was  to  the 
human  race,  until  the  duke  made  that  little  speech  in 
proposing  his  health.  How  appreciative  the  duke  is! 
Really,  Cora,  dear,  you  are  a very  happy  woman,  and  I 
congratulate  you  with  all  my  heart  and  soul ; indeed,  I 
do,”  said  Mr.  Clarence,  wringing  the  young  lady’s  hand, 
and  turning  away  to  hide  the  tears  that  filled  his  eyes. 

“Thank  you.  Uncle  Clarence.  Thank  you,  Uncle 
Eabian.  I am  grateful  for  your  congratulations,  on  ac- 
count of  your  good  intentions ; but — congratulations  are 
quite  uncalled  for  on  this  occasion.” 

“Why — what  on  earth  do  you  mean,  Cora  1”  inquired 
Mr.  Fabian,  while  Mr.  Clarence  looked  full  of  uneasi- 
ness. 

“I  mean  that  I have  never  been  engaged  to  the  Duke 
of  Cumbervale,  and  never  mean  to  marry  him.  Mr. 
Eockharrt’s  announcement  was  unauthorized  and  un- 
founded. It  was  just  an  act  of  his  despotic  will,  to 
oblige  me  to  contract  a marriage  which  he  favors.” 

The  two  men  looked  on  the  speaker  in  mute  amaze- 
ment. 

“We  will  not  talk  more  of  this  to-night.  But  the  mat- 
ter must  be  set  right  to-morrow,”  said  Cora. 

A little  later  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fabian  Rockharrt  took 
leave  and  departed  for  their  home. 


CHAPTEE  XI 


UNREQUITED  LOVE 

The  Duke  of  Cumbervale,  weary  of  a sleepless  pillow^, 
arose  early  and  rang  his  bell,  startling  his  gentlemanly 
valet  from  his  morning  slumbers ; dressed  himself  with 
monsieur’s  assistance,  and  went  downstairs  with  the  in- 
tention of  taking  a walk  before  the  family  should  be  up. 

But  his  intention  was  forestalled  by  the  appearance 
of  Mr.  Kockharrt  coming  out  of  his  chamber  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  halL 

The  Iron  King  looked  up  in  some  surprise  at  the  ap- 
parition of  his  guest  at  so  early  an  hour;  but  quickly 
composed  himself  as  he  gave  him  the  matutinal  saluta- 
tion: 

^^Ah,  good-morning,  duke.  An  early  riser,  like  my- 
self, eh  ? Come  down  into  the  library  with  me,  and  let 
us  look  over  the  morning  papers.” 

A cheerful  coal  fire  was  burning  in  the  grate,  a very 
acceptable  comfort  on  this  chill  November  morning. 

This  was  one  of  the  happy  days  when  there  is  ^^noth- 
ing  in  the  papers” — that  is  to  say,  nothing  interesting, 
absorbing,  soul-harrowing,  in  the  form  of  financial  ruin, 
highway  robbery,  murder,  arson,  fire,  or  flood.  Every- 

175 


176 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


thing  in  the  world  at  the  present  brief  hour  seemed 
going  on  well,  consequently  the  papers  were  very  dull, 
flat,  stale  and  unprofitable,  and  were  soon  laid  aside  by 
the  host  and  his  guest,  and  they  fell  into  conversation. 

‘‘You  took  a long  walk  yesterday,  I hear — ^went  across 
in  the  ferry  boat,  and  strolled  up  to  the  foot  of  Scythia’s 
Roost.” 

“I  did.  Can  you  tell  me  anything  about  that  curious 
spot  ?” 

“No ; nothing  but  that  it  was  the  dwelling  of  an  In- 
dian woman,  who  pretended  to  second  sight,  and  who 
should  have  been  sent  to  the  State’s  prison  as  a felon, 
•or,  at  the  very  least,  to  the  madhouse  as  a lunatic.  She 
was  burned  out,  or  perhaps  burned  herself  out,  and  varn- 
ished on  the  same  night  that  Governor  Rothsay  disap- 
peared. She  was  in  some  way  cognizant  of  a plot  againsl 
him  that  would  prevent  him  from  ever  entering  upon 
the  duties  of  his  oflice.  I,  in  my  capacity  as  magistrate, 
issued  a warrant  for  her  arrest,  but  it  was  too  late.  She 
was  gone.  It  is  said  by  some  people  that  she  is  a Mexi- 
can Indian,  who  had  been  very  beautiful  in  her  youth, 
and  who  had  become  infatuated  with  an  English  tourist 
who  admired  her  to  such  a degree  that  he  married  her — 
according  to  the  rites  of  her  nation.  He  was  a false 
hearted  caitiff,  if  he  was  an  English  lord.  Having  com- 
mitted the  folly  of  marrying  the  Indian  woman,  he 
should  have  been  true  to  her — made  the  best  of  the  bad 
bargain.  Instead  of  which  he  grew  tired  of  her,  and 
finally  abandoned  her.” 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


177 


^^Did  lie  return  to  his  native  country,  do  you  know 
^^He  did  not.  She  never  gave  him  time.  She  went 
mad  after  he  left  her,  followed  him  to  New  Orleans  and 
tomahawked  him  on  the  steamboat.  She  was  tried  for 
murder,  acquitted  on  the  ground  of  insanity,  and  sent  to 
a lunatic  asylum.  After  a time  she  was  discharged,  or 
she  escaped.  It  is  not  known  which;  most  probably 
she  escaped,  as  she  certainly  was  not  cured.  She  was  as 
mad  as  a March  hare  all  the  time  she  lived  here ; but  as 
she  was  harmless — comparatively  harmless — it  seemed 
nobody’s  business  to  have  her  shut  up ! And  as  I said, 
when  at  last  I thought  it  was  time  to  have  her  arrested 
on  a charge  of  vagrancy,  it  was  too  late.  She  had  fled.” 

^^Why  do  you  suspect  that  she  had  some  knowledge 
of  a plot  to  make  away  with  the  governor-elect  ?” 

suspect  that  she  was  in  the  plot.  Developments 
have  led  me  to  the  conclusion.  By  these  I learned  that 
Eothsay  was  not  murdered,  as  his  friends  feared,  nor 
abducted,  as  some  persons  believed,  but  that  he  went 
away,  and  lived  for  many  months  among  the  Indians  in 
the  wilderness,  without  giving  a sign  of  his  identity  to 
the  people  among  whom  he  lived,  or  sending  a hint  of 
his  whereabouts,  or  even  of  his  existence,  to  his  anxious 
friends.  But  that  the  massacre  of  Terrepeur — in  which 
he  was  murdered  and  his  hut  was  burned — occurred 
when  it  diid,  we  might  never  have  learned  his  fate.” 

^^Yet,  still,  I cannot  see  the  ground  upon  which  you 
suspect  this  Indian  woman  of  complicity  in  the  man’s 
disappearance,”  said  Cumbervale. 


178 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


I am  coming  to  that.  Scythia  was  a Mexican 
Indian.  It  is  well  known  to  travelers  that  the  Mexican 
Indians  possess  the  secret  of  a drug  which,  when  ad- 
ministered to  a man,  will  not  kill  him,  or  do  him  any 
physical  harm,  but  will  reduce  him  to  a state  of  abject 
imbecility,  so  that  his  free  will  is  destroyed,  and  he  may 
be  led  by  any  one  who  may  wish  to  lead  him.  This  drug 
administered  to  Eothsay,  by  the  woman,  must  have  so 
deprived  him  of  his  reason  as  to  induce  him  to  follow 
any  one  influencing  him.’’ 

^^What  interest  could  she  have  had  in  reducing  the 
man  to  this  state  of  dementia  ?” 

^^She  had  been  like  a mother  to  the  young  man,  and 
had  sheltered  him  in  her  hut  for  years,  when  he  had  no 
other  home.  She  was  very  much  attached  to  this  adopt- 
ed son  of  hers ; she  was  longing  to  go  back  to  her  tribe 
and  die  among  her  own  people.  It  may  be  that  she 
wished  to  take  him  with  her,  and  so  give  him  the  drug 
that  destroyed  his  will.  Or,  she  may  have  been  the 
tool  of  others.  All  this  is  the  merest  conjecture.  But 
the  facts  remain  that  she  foretold  his  fate,  and  that  she 
vanished  on  the  same  day  on  which  he  disappeared,  and 
that  he  remained  in  exile,  voluntarily,  until  he  was  mur- 
dered by  the  Indians.  Still — there  might  have  been  an- 
other cause  for  this  self-expatriation.” 

^^May  I inquire  its  nature  ?” 

^^No,  duke ; it  is  only  in  my  secret  thought.  I have 
no  just  right  to  speak  of  it  to  you.  But  if  the  question 
be  not  indiscreet,  will  you  tell  me  why  you  take  so  deep 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  179 

an  interest  in  the  unreliable  story  of  this  Indian  wom- 
an’s life?” 

^^Certainly;  because  the  wild  young  blade  who  mar- 
ried and  left  her,  and  paid  down  his  life  for  that  deser- 
tion, was  my  own  uncle,  my  father’s  elder  brother,  Earl 
Netherby,  the  heir  to  the  dukedom,  by  whose  death  my 
father,  and  subsequently  myself,  succeeded  to  the  title.” 

^^You  astonish  me ! Are  you  sure  of  this  ?” 

^^Eeasonably  sure.  I was  but  five  years  old  when  my 
uncle  came  to  bid  us  good-by,  before  setting  out  for 
America.  But  I remember  his  having  on  his  finger  a 
wonderful  ring,  a large  solitaire  diamond  with  certain 
flaws  in  it;  but  these  flaws  were  very  curious;  they 
were  faint  traces  left  by  the  hand  of  nature  shaping  out 
a human  eye.  When  ordinary  mortals  like  myself 
looked  at  the  diamond,  they  saw  the  delicate  outline  of 
an  eye  traced  by  the  flaws  in  the  stone ; but  it  was  said 
that  whenever  a clairvoyant  looked  into  it  they  could  see, 
not  the  human  eye,  but,  as  through  a telescope,  they 
could  view  the  panorama  of  future  events.” 

^^What  nonsense !”  said  Mr.  Eockharrt. 

^^Nonsense,  of  course,”  assented  the  duke.  did  not 
speak  of  the  ring  on  account  of  its  supposed  magic  pow- 
er, but  because  it  was  so  peculiar  a jewel  that  it  would  be 
impossible  to  mistake  it  for  any  other  ring,  or  any  other 
ring  for  itself;  and  to  lead  up  to  the  statement  that 
its  discovery  enabled  me  to  identify  the  Mexican  Indian 
woman  with  the  maniac  who  murdered  my  uncle,  as 
you  will  see  very  soon.  When  my  uncle  took  leave  of 


180 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


us,  my  father,  noticing  the  family  talisman — which,  by 
the  way,  was  picked  up  by  our  ancestor,  Eaoul-de-Neth- 
erbie,  the  great  Crusader,  on  the  battlefield  of  Acre,  and 
was  said  to  have  belonged  to  an  Eastern  magician,  and 
has  remained  an  heirloom  with  the  head  of  our  family 
ever  since — inquired  of  his  brother  whether  he  was  go- 
ing to  wear  that  outre  jewel  in  open  view  upon  his  fin- 
ger. My  uncle  answered  that  he  was ; and  half  laughing, 
and  wholly  incredulous,  he  added: 

^You  know,  Hugh,  that  this  stone  is  a talisman 
against  shipwrecks,  fires,  floods,  robbery,  murder,  ill- 
ness, and  all  the  perils  by  land  or  by  sea,  and  all  the  ills 
that  flesh  is  heir  to.  While  I wear  this  ring  I expect  to 
be  safe  from  the  evils  of  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the 
devil.  So  it  shall  never  leave  my  living  hand  while  I 
am  away;  but  it  shall  bring  me  home  safe  to  live  to  a 
patriarchal  age  and  then  die  peacefully  in  my  bed,  with 
my  children  and  children’s  children  of  many  genera- 
tions weeping  and  wailing  around  me.’ 

‘^These,  or  words  to  this  effect,  he  was  speaking,  while 
I,  standing  by  the  chair  in  which  he  sat,  toyed  with  his 
hand,  and  gazed  curiously  upon  the  talismanic  jewel, 
and  got  into  my  mind  an  impression  of  it  that  never  was 
lost.  My  uncle  soon  after  left  the  house,  and  we  never 
saw  him  alive  again.” 

•^He  was  the  victim  of  this  mad  woman  ?” 

know  it.  News  was  slow  in  those  days.  We  sel- 
dom heard  from  my  uncle.  His  letters  were  but  the 
mark  of  the  cities  he  stopped  at.  We  had  one  letter 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


181 


from  Boston;  a month  later  one  from  New  York;  a 
fortnight  later,  perhaps — for  I only  remember  these 
matters  by  hearing  them  talked  over  by  my  parents — 
from  Philadelphia;  later  still,  and  later,  Baltimore^ 
Washington,  Nashville,  New  Orleans,  and  so  on  as  he 
journeyed  southward.  Then  came  a long  interval,  during 
which  we  heard  nothing  from  him,  while  all  his  family 
suffered  the  deepest  anxiety,  fearing  that  he  had  fallen 
a victim  to  the  terrible  fever  that  was  then  desolating 
the  Crescent  City.  Then  at  length  came  a letter  from 
his  valet — a deep  black-bordered  letter — which  an- 
nounced the  terrible  news  of  the  murder  of  his  master 
by  a Mexican  Indian  woman,  supposed  to  be  mad. 
There  were  no  details,  but  only  the  explanation  that  he,, 
the  valet — who  had  seen  the  murder,  which  was  the 
work  of  an  instant — was  detained  in  New  Orleans  as  a 
witness  for  the  prosecution,  and  should  not  be  able  to 
return  home  until  after  the  trial.  It  was  two  months 
after  the  latter  that  the  valet  came  back  to  England  in 
charge  of  his  late  master’s  effects,  which  had  all  been 
sealed  by  the  New  Orleans  authorities,  and  reached  us 
intact.  Only  the  family  talisman  was  missing,  and 
could  nowhere  be  found.  And  as  the  family’s  prosperity, 
and  even  continuity,  was  supposed  to  depend  upon  the 
possession  of  that  ring,  its  loss  was  considered  only  a 
less  misfortune  than  my  uncle’s  death.  Later,  my  un- 
cle’s remains  were  brought  home  from  New  Orleans  and 
deposited  in  the  family  vault  at  Cumbervale  Castle. 

^^The  ring  was  never  again  heard  of.  On  the  death 


182 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


of  my  grandfather,  the  seventh  duke,  my  father,  who 
was  the  second  son,  succeeded  to  the  title.  But  fortune 
seemed  to  have  deserted  us.  By  a series  of  unlucky  land 
speculations  my  father  lost  nearly  all  his  riches,  which 
calamities  preyed  upon  his  mind  so  that  his  health 
broke  down  and  he  sank  into  premature  old  age  and 
died.  I came  into  the  title  with  but  little  to  support  it. 
So  that  when  I honestly  loved  a lady  believed  to  be 
wealthy,  my  motives  were  supposed  to  be  mercenary.’^ 

The  Iron  King  might  have  felt  this  thrust,  but  he 
gave  no  sign.  The  duke  continued : 

^^My  after  life  does  not  concern  the  story  of  the  ring. 
On  learning,  since  my  return  from  long  travel  in  the 
East,  that  your  fair  granddaughter  was  widowed  nearly 
two  years  before,  you  know  I wrote  to  you  asking  her 
address,  with  a view  of  renewing  my  old  suit.  You  re- 
plied by  telling  me  that  Mrs.  Rothsay  made  her  home 
with  you,  and  inviting  me  to  visit  you.  I refer  to  this 
only  to  keep  the  sequence  of  events  in  order.  I came. 
Yesterday  morning  I went  to  Scythia’s  Boost,  climbed 
from  that  shelf  to  the  top  of  the  mountain  and  viewed 
the  scene  from  it.  After  I came  down  again  to  Scythia’s 
Boost  I sat  down  to  rest.  The  sun  was  sinking  behind 
the  ridge,  but  through  a crevice  in  the  rocks  a ray — 
line  of  golden  light’ — pierced  and  seemed  to  strike  fire 
and  bring  out  an  answering  ray  from  some  living  light, 
left  in  the  ashes.  I went  to  see  what  it  was,  and  picked 
up  the  magic  ring,  the  family  talisman.  There  it  was, 
the  wonderful  stone  for  which  no  other  could  possibly 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


183 


be  mistaken,  the  gem  of  intolerable  light  and  fire  that 
had  to  be  shaded  before  it  could  be  steadily  looked  at 
and  before  the  delicate  lines  of  its  flaws  delineating  the 
human  eye  could  be  discerned.  Here  is  the  ring,  Mr. 
Eockharrt.  Examine  it  for  yourself.’’ 

Mr.  Eockharrt  took  the  ring,  examined  it  curiously, 
turned  it  toward  the  clouded  window,  then  toward  the 
blazing  sea  coal  fire;  in  both  positions  it  burned  and 
sparkled  just  like  any  other  diamond.  Then  he  shaded 
it  and  looked  at  it  through  his  eye-glasses;  finally  he 
shook  his  head  and  returned  it  to  its  owner,  saying: 

^Tt  is  a fine  gem,  barring  a flaw,  and  I congratulate 
you  on  its  recovery,  but  I see  no  human  eye  in  it.  I see 
some  indistinct  lines,  fine  as  the  thread  of  a spider’s  web, 
that  is  all.  There  is  the  breakfast  bell,  duke.  We  will 
go  into  the  drawing  room  and  find  Cora.  She  must  be 
down  by  this  time.” 

Cora  was  standing  at  one  of  the  front  windows,  look- 
ing out  upon  the  driving  rain.  She  turned  as  the  two 
gentlemen  entered  the  room,  and  responded  to  their 
greeting. 

^Well,  now  we  will  go  in  to  breakfast.  Did  the  fresh 
venison  come  in  time,  Cora  ?” 
think  so,  sir.” 

cook  it  on  the  breakfast  table,  duke,  each  one  for 
himself.  Put  a slice  on  a china  plate  over  a chafing 
dish.  The  only  way  to  eat  a venison  cutlet,”  said  old 
Aaron  Eockharrt,  as  he  led  the  way  into  the  breakfast 
room,  where  his  eyes  were  immediately  rejoiced  by  the 


184 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


sight  of  three  chafing  dishes  filled  with  ignited  charcoal 
ready  for  nse,  and  a covered  china  dish,  which  he  knew 
mnst  contain  the  delicate  venison  cutlets. 

When  breakfast  was  over  and  they  had  all  left  the  ta- 
ble, the  Iron  King,  addressing  his  guest,  said : 

^Well,  sir,  I must  be  off  to  North  End.  I hope  you 
will  find  some  way  of  entertaining  yourself  within 
doors,  for  certainly  this  is  not  a day  to  tempt  a man  to 
seek  recreation  abroad.  Nothing  but  business  of  impor- 
tance could  take  me  out  in  such  weather.’’ 

regret  that  any  cause  should  take  you  out,  sir,” 
replied  the  guest. 

As  soon  as  the  noise  of  the  wheels  had  died  away,  the 
duke,  who  had  lingered  in  the  hall  to  see  his  host  de- 
part, turned  and  entered  the  drawing  room,  where  he 
found  Cora  as  before,  standing  at  a window  looking  out 
upon  the  dull  November  day. 

^Will  you  permit  me  now  to  speak  on  the  subject 
nearest  my  heart  ?”  he  pleaded,  taking  the  hand  which 
had  dropped  down  by  her  side. 

would  rather  that  the  subject  had  never  been  start- 
ed, but  under  the  circumstances,  after  what  was  said  last 
night  at  dinner,  I feel  that  the  sooner  we  come  to  a per- 
fect understanding  the  better  it  will  be,”  said  Cora,  lead- 
ing the  way  to  a group  of  chairs  and  by  a gesture  invi- 
ting him  to  be  seated.  Then,  to  prevent  him  further 
committing  himself  and  incurring  a humiliating  refusal, 
she  herself  took  the  initiative,  and  said : 

^Tf  any  other  person  than  Mr.  Eockharrt  had  made 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


185 


the  public  announcement  that  he  did  yesterday,  I should 
have  denounced  the  act  as  an  unpardonable  outrage; 
but  of  him  I must  say  that  he  must  have  labored  under 
some  strange  hallucination  to  have  made  such  reckless 
assertions  without  one  shadow  of  foundation.  You 
yourself  must  have  known  that  there  was  not  one  sylla- 
ble of  truth  in  his  announcement.’’ 

^^My  dearest  Mrs.  Eothsay,  I supposed  that  Mr.  Eock- 
harrt  thought,  even  as  I hoped,  that  our  betrothal  was 
but  the  question  of  a few  days,  or  even  of  a few  hours, 
and  that  he  took  the  occasion  of  the  family  gathering  to 
announce  the  fact.  He  had  already  given  his  consent  to 
my  suit  for  the  blessing  of  your  hand,  and  if  he  com- 
mitted an  indiscretion  in  that  premature  announcement 
I did  not  know  it.  I thought  such  announcement  might 
be  a local  custom,  and  I blessed  him  in  my  heart  for  ob- 
serving it.  Cora !”  he  said,  taking  her  hand  and  drop- 
ping his  voice  to  a pleading  tone,  ^^dear  Cora,  it  was 
only  premature.” 

^Huke  of  Cumbervale,”  she  answered,  coldly  and 
gravely,  withdrawing  her  hand,  ^^it  is  not  premature.  It 
was  utterly  false  and  groundless ; it  was  the  declaration 
of  an  engagement  that  not  only  had  never  taken  place, 
but  could  never  take  place — an  engagement  forever  im- 
possible !” 

^^Oh,  do  not  say  that ! I have  kept  my  faith.  After 
your  grandfather’s  rejection  of  me  in  your  name  I could 
rest  nowhere  in  England.  I Avent  to  the  Continent,  and 
thence  to  the  East,  but  still  could  rest  nowhere,  because 


186 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


I was  pursued  by  your  image.  When  I came  back  to 
England,  I learned  that  you  had  been  widowed  from 
your  wedding  day  and  almost  as  long  as  I had  been  ab- 
sent. I determined  to  renew  my  suit,  for  I remembered 
that  it  was  not  you,  but  your  grandfather  in  your  name, 
who  rejected  my  proposal.  I remembered  that  you  had 
once  given  me  hope!^^ 

^^Tou  refer  to  a time  of  sad  self-deception  on  my  part, 
which  led  me  even  to  unconsciously  deceiving  you.  My 
imaginary  preference  for  you  was  a brief  hallucination. 
Let  it  be  forgotten.  The  memory  to  me  is  humiliating. 
You  must  think  of  me  only  as  the  wife  of  Eegulas 
Rothsay.’^ 

^^As  the  widow,  you  would  say.  Surely  that  widow- 
hood can  be  no  bar  to  my  suit.’^ 

do  not  call  myself  the  widow  of  Rule  Rothsay, 
but  his  wife,”  said  Cora,  solemnly. 

^^But,  my  dear  lady,  surely  death  has ” 

^^Death  has  not,”  said  Cora,  fervently  interrupting 
him,  ^^death  cannot  sever  two  souls  as  united  as  ours.  I 
mean  to  spend  the  years  I have  to  live  on  earth,  tempo- 
rarily and  partially  separated  from  my  husband,  in  good 
works  of  which  he  would  approve ; with  which  he  would 
sympathize  and  which  would  draw  his  spirit  into  closer 
communion  with  mine ; and  I hope  at  that  ascension  to 
the  higher  life  which  we  miscall  death  to  meet  him  face 
to  face,  to  be  able  to  tell  him,  T have  finished  my  work, 
I have  kept  the  faith,^  and  to  be  with  him  forever  in  one 
of  the  many  mansions  of  the  Father’s  kingdom.” 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  18T 

see/’  said  the  suitor,  with  a deep  sigh,  ^^that  my 
suit  would  be  utterly  useless  at  present.  But  I will  not 
give  up  the  hope  that  is  my  life — the  hope  that  you  may 
yet  look  with  favor  on  my  love.  I will  merit  that  you 
should  do  so.  Cora  Eothsay,  I Avill  no  longer  vex  you 
with  my  presence  in  this  house.  I will  take  leave  of 
you  even  now,  and  only  ask  of  your  courtesy  the  use  of 
a dog  cart  to  take  me  to  the  North  End  Hotel.” 

^^You  are  good,  you  are  very  good  to  me,  and  I pray 
with  all  my  heart  that  you  may  meet  some  woman  much 
more  worthy  of  your  grace  than  am  I,  and  that  you 
may  be  very  happy.  God  bless  you,  Duke  of  Cumber- 
vale,”  said  Cora,  earnestly. 

He  lifted  her  hand  to  his  lips,  kissed  it,  bowed  over 
it  and  silently  left  the  room. 

Cora  stepped  after  him  and  shut  the  door;  then  she 
hastened  across  the  floor,  threw  herself  down  on  the 
sofa,  buried  her  face  in  the  cushions  and  gave  way  to 
the  flood  of  tears  that  flowed  in  sympathy  with  the  pain 
she  had  given.  Meantime  the  duke  went  up  to  his  room 
and  rang  for  his  valet. 

That  grave  and  accomplished  gentleman  came  at  once. 

^^Dubois,  go  down  and  order  the  dog  cart  to  be  at  the 
door  in  half  an  hour ; then  return  here  to  assist  me.” 

The  Frenchman  bowed  profoundly  and  withdrew, 
have  come  a long  way  for  a disappointment,”  mur- 
mured the  rejected  lover,  as  he  threw  himself  languidly 
upon  the  outside  of  the  bed  and  clasped  his  hands  over 
his  head.  fanatic  she  certainly  is.  A lunatic  also 


188 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


most  probably.  Yet  I cannot  get  her  out  of  my  head. 
I would  go  to  Canada — to  Quebec — if  it  was  not  so 
abominably  cold.  Vane  is  there  with  the  110th.  But 
the  climate  is  too  severe.  I must  move  southward,  not 
northward — southward,  through  California,  and  thence 
to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  New  Zealand,  and  Australia. 
That  will  be  a pleasant  winter  voyage.  Talbot  is  at  Syd- 
ney, and  the  climate,  and  the  scenery,  and  the  fruits  and 
vegetables  said  to  be  the  finest  in  the  world.  It  will  be 
a new  experience,  and  if  I can’t  forget  her  among  sol- 
diers and  convicts,  miners  and  bushmen — well,  then,  I 
will  come  back  and  make  a third  attempt.  Well,  Du- 
bois, what  is  it  This  question  to  his  valet,  who  just 
then  re-entered  the  room. 

^^The  carriage  will  be  at  the  door  on  time,  your 
grace.” 

^^Right.  Now  attend  to  my  directions.  I am  going 
immediately  to  North  End,  and  shall  leave  there  by  the 
six  o’clock  express,  en  route  for  San  Francisco.  After 
I shall  have  left  Eockhold  you  are  to  pack  up  my  effects. 
I shall  send  a hack  from  the  hotel  to  fetch  them.  Be 
very  sure  to  be  ready.” 

The  duke  went  out  and  entered  the  dog  cart,  received 
his  valise  from  his  valet,  gave  the  order  to  the  groom 
and  was  driven  off  without  having  again  seen  Cora. 

But  from  behind  the  screen  of  her  lace-curtained  win- 
dow she  watched  his  departure. 

hope  he  will  soon  forget  me,”  she  murmured,  as 
she  turned  away  and  went  downstairs  to  the  library  to 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


189 


look  over  the  morning  papers,  which  she  had  not  yet 
seen.  But  before  she  touched  a paper  her  eyes  were  at- 
tracted by  a letter  stuck  in  the  letter  rack,  directed  to 
herself  in  her  brother’s  well-known  handwriting. 

^^To  think  that  my  grandfather  should  have  neglected 
to  give  me  my  letter,”  she  complained,  as  she  seized 
and  opened  it. 

It  was  dated  Fort  Farthermost,  and  announced  the 
fact  of  the  regiment’s  arrival  at  the  new  quarters  near 
the  boundary  line  of  Texas,  ^^in  the  midst  of  a wilder- 
ness infested  with  hostile  Indians,  half-breeds,  wild 
beasts,  rattlesnakes  and  tarantulas.  Only  two  compa- 
nies are  to  remain  here;  my  company — B — for  one. 
Two  first  lieutenants  are  married  men,  but  they  have  not 
brought  their  wives.  One  of  the  captains  is  a widower, 
and  the  other  an  old  bachelor.  In  point  of  fact,  there 
are  only  two  ladies  with  us — the  colonel’s  wife  and  the 
major’s.  And  when  they  heard  from  me  that  my  sister 
was  coming  to  join  me,  they  were  delighted  with  the  idea 
of  having  another  lady  for  company.  All  the  same,  Cora, 
I do  not  advise  you  to  come  here.  Will  write  more  in 
a few  days ; must  stop  now  to  secure  the  mail  that  goes 
by  this  train — wagon  and  mule  train  to  Arkansaw  City, 
my  dear.” 

This  was  the  substance  of  the  young  lieutenant’s  let- 
ter to  his  sister. 

^^But,  ^all  the  same,’  I shall  go,”  said  Corona.  And 
she  sat  down  to  answer  her  brother’s  letter. 


CHAPTER  XII 


A DOMESTIC  STOKM 

It  is  a truth  almost  too  trite  for  reference,  that  in  the 
experience  of  every  one  of  us  there  are  some  days  in 
which  everything  seems  to  go  wrong.  Such  a day  was 
this  13th  of  November  to  the  Iron  King. 

When  he  reached  North  End  that  morning,  the  first 
thing  that  met  him  in  his  private  oflSce  was  the  news 
that  certain  stocks  had  fallen.  The  news  came  by  tele- 
graph, and  put  him  in  a terrible  temper. 

This  was  about  ten  o’clock.  Two  hours  later  it  was 
discovered  that  one  of  the  minor  bookkeepers,  a new 
employee  who  had  come  well  recommended  about  a 
month  before,  had  just  absconded  with  all  he  could  lay 
his  hands  on — only  a few  thousand  dollars — the  merest 
trifle  of  a loss  to  Rockharrt  & Sons,  but  extremely  ex- 
asperating under  the  circumstances.  So  taking  one 
provocation  with  another,  at  noon  on  that  13th  of  No- 
vember old  Aaron  Rockharrt  was  about  the  maddest 
man  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

It  was  his  custom  to  lunch  with  his  sons  in  the  pri- 
vate parlor  of  Mr.  Clarence’s  suite  of  rooms  at  the  North 

End  Hotel,  every  day  at  two  o’clock. 

190 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


191 


To-day,  however,  he  showed  no  disposition  to  eat  or 
drink.  And  although  the  two  younger  men  were  fam- 
ished for  food  they  dared  not  go  to  lunch  without  him 
or  even  urge  him  to  make  an  effort  to  go  with  them.  It 
was  then  three  o’clock,  an  hour  later  than  their  usual 
hour,  that  Mr.  Eockharrt  ^made  a movement  in  the  de- 
sired way  by  rising,  stretching  his  limbs,  and  saying : 

^We  will  go  to  the  hotel  and  get  something  to  eat.” 

The  three  men  crossed  the  street  and  went  directly  to 
Mr.  Clarence’s  room,  where  the  table  for  luncheon  was 
set  out.  But  there  was  nothing  on  it  but  cut  bread, 
casters,  and  condiments,  for  these  men  always  preferred 
hot  luncheon  in  cold  weather,  and  it  was  yet  to  be 
dished  up. 

The  Iron  King  was  not  in  a humor  to  wait.  He  hur- 
ried the  servants.  And  at  length  when  the  dishes,  which 
had  been  punctually  prepared  for  two  o’clock,  were 
placed  on  the  table  at  twenty  minutes  past  three,  every- 
thing was  overdone,  dried  up,  and  indigestible. 

It  was  the  Iron  King’s  own  fault  for  not  coming  to 
the  table  when  the  meal  was  first  prepared  to  order.  But 
he  would  not  admit  that  into  consideration.  He  ordered 
the  waiter  to  take  everything  away  and  throw  it  out  of 
doors,  declared  that  he  would  have  a restaurant  started 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street  where  a man  could 
get  a decent  meal,  and  rose  from  the  table  in  a rage. 

It  was  while  the  Iron  King  was  in  this  amiable  and 
promising  state  of  mind  that  a waiter  brought  in  a card 
and  laid  it  before  him.  He  took  it  up  and  read  aloud : 


193 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


“The  Duke  of  Cumbervale.” 

“Show  him  in,”  said  Mr.  Eockharrt. 

A few  minutes  later  the  visitor  entered  the  parlor, 
bowed  to  his  host,  and  then  shook  hands  with  the  two 
younger  men,  whom  he  had  not  seen  since  the  evening 
before. 

“So  you  braved  the  storm  after  all,  duke  ? You  found 
the  old  house  too  dreary  for  a long,  rainy  day.  Take 
a seat,”  said  Mr.  Rockharrt,  waving  his  hands  majestic- 
ally around  the  chairs. 

“No ; it  was  not  the  weather  that  made  Eockhold  in- 
supportable to  me.  But,  sir,  I have  come  a long  way 
for  a great  disappointment,”  said  the  rejected  lover. 

“What ! what ! what ! Explain  yourself,  if  you  please, 
sir !”  exclaimed  the  Iron  King,  bending  his  heavy  gray 
brows  over  flashing  eyes. 

“Mrs.  Eothsay  has  rejected  me!” 

“What!  what!  Eejected  you!  Why,  your  engage- 
ment was  declared  in  the  family  conclave  only  last 
night.” 

“Mrs.  Eothsay  states  that  the  declaration  was  errone- 
ous, and  that  no  such  engagement  ever  has  been  or  ever 
could  be  made  between  us.” 

“How  dare  she  say  that  ? How  dare  she  try  to  break 
off  with  you  in  this  scandalous  manner  ? But  she  shall 
not ! She  shall  keep  faith  with  you  or  she  is  no  grand- 
daughter of  mine ! I will  have  nothing  to  do  with  false 
women!  How  did  this  breach  occur?  Tell  me  all 


198 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

about  it ! Fabian — Clarence ! Go  about  your  business. 
I want  to  have  some  private  conversation  with  the 
duke !” 

The  two  younger  men,  thus  summarily  dismissed, 
nodded  to  the  visitor  and  left  the  room,  glad  enough  to 
go  down  below  to  the  saloon  and  get  something  to  eat 
and  drink, 

0 

then,  sir,  whafs  the  row  with  my  grand- 
daughter demanded  the  Iron  King,  wheeling  his  chair 
around  to  face  his  visitor. 

^^There  is  no  ^row,^  said  the  young  man,  with  the 
faintest  possible  hint  of  disgust  in  his  tone  and  manner. 
^^Mrs.  Eothsay  rejects  me,  positively,  absolutely.  She 
repudiates  the  announcement  of  our  betrothal  as  unau- 
thorized and  erroneous.^’ 

^^But  you  know,  as  we  all  know,  that  she  was  engaged 
to  you ! Yes ; and  she  shall  keep  her  engagement.  Bll 
see  to  that!’’ 

^Tardon  me,  Mr.  Eockharrt,  I am  grieved  to  say  that 
you  have  made  a mistake.  The  lady  was  right.  There 
was  no  engagement  between  Mrs.  Eothsay  and  myself 
at  the  time  you  made  that  announcement,  nor  has  there 
been  one  since,  nor,  I fear,  can  there  ever  be.” 

^^Sir !”  exclaimed  the  Iron  King,  rising  in  his  wrath. 
^^Did  you  not  come  to  this  country,  for  the  express 
purpose  of  asking  my  granddaughter’s  hand  in  mar- 
riage ? Did  I not  promise  her  hand  to  you  in  marriage  ?” 

^^You  did,  provi 

^^Then  if  that  did  not  constitute  an  engagement,  I do 


194. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


now  know  what  does — that  is  all.  But  some  people  have 
very  loose  ideas  about  honor.  You  ask  the  hand  of  my 
granddaughter;  I bestow  it  on  you,  and  announce  the 
fact  to  my  family.” 

“Pardon  me,  Mr.  Eockharrt,  you  promised  me  the 
hand  of  your  granddaughter,  provided  she  should  be 
willing  to  give  it  to  me.” 

“ ‘Provided’  nothing  of  the  sort,  sir.  I gave  her 
hand  unconditionally,  absolutely,  and  announced  the 
betrothal  to  the  family.” 

“But,  my  dear  Mr.  Eockharrt,  the  lady’s  consent  is  a 
most  necessary  factor  in  such  a case  as  this,”  urged  the 
young  man,  who  began  to  think  that  the  despotic  ego- 
tism of  the  Iron  King  had  in  these  later  years  grown 
into  a monomania,  deceiving  him  into  the  delusion  that 
his  power  over  family  and  dependents  was  that  of  an  ab- 
solute monarch  over  his  subjects.  This  opinion  was 
confirmed  by  the  next  words  of  the  autocrat. 

“Of  course  her  consent  would  follow  my  act.  That 
was  taken  for  granted.” 

“But,  sir,  her  consent  did  not  follow  your  act.  Quite 
the  contrary;  for  my  rejection  followed  it.  It  is  of  no 
use  to  multiply  words.  The  affair  is  at  an  end.  I have 
bidden  good-by  to  Mrs.  Eothsay.  I am  here  to  say 
good-by  to  you.” 

“You  cannot  mean  it!” 

“I  have  left  Eockhold  finally.  I shall  leave  North 
End  by  this  6 ;00  p.  m.  train,  en  route  for  the  South,” 
continued  the  rejected  lover. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


195 


^^Then,  by ! if  she  has  driven  yon  out  of  my 

honse,  she  shall  go  herself!  I have  done  the  best  I 
could  for  the  woman^  and  she  has  repaid  me  by  ingrati- 
tude and  rebellion.  And  she  shall  leave  my  house  at 
once!’’  exclaimed  the  despot  in  a tone  of  savage  reso- 
lution. 

^^Mr.  Eockharrt;  I must  beg  that  you  will  not  visit 
my  disappointment  on  the  head  of  your  unoffending 
granddaughter.” 

^^Duke  of  Cumbervale,  you  must  not  venture  to  inter- 
fere with  me  in  the  discipline  of  my  own  family.  I don’t 
very  much  like  dukes.  I think  I said  that  once  before. 
I rejected  you  for  my  granddaughter  two  years  ago 
when  she  was  bound  to  Rule  Eothsay.  Now  that  she  is  a 
widow  and  is  free,  I accepted  your  suit  and  bestowed 
her  on  you,  not  that  I like  dukes  any  better  now  than  I 
did  then,  but  I like  you  better  as  a man.” 

The  young  duke  bowed  with  solemn  gravity  at  this 
compliment,  repressing  the  smile  that  fluttered  about  his 
lips.  At  this  moment  a waiter  entered  the  room,  and 
said  that  ^^the  gentleman’s”  servant  had  arrived  with  his 
master’s  luggage,  and  requested  to  know  where  it  was 
to  be  put. 

^^Tell  him  to  get  his  dinner,  and  then  take  the  lug- 
gage in  the  same  carriage  to  the  station,”  said  the  duke, 
and  the  messenger  withdrew. 

^^Have  you  lunched,  duke  ?”  inquired  Mr.  Eockharrt, 
mindful,  even  in  his  rage,  of  his  duties  as  a host. 


196  AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

“I  have  not  thought  of  doing  so/’  replied  the  young 
man. 

“Umph ! I suppose  not !”  grunted  the  Iron  King,  as 
he  rang  the  bell. 

A waiter  appeared. 

“Any  game  in  the  house  ?” 

“Yes,  sir ; fine  venison.” 

“Don’t  want  venison — had  it  for  breakfast.  Any- 
thing else?” 

“A  very  fine  wild  turkey,  sir.” 

“Bother!  Takes  three  hours  to  dress,  and  I want  a 
hot  lunch  got  up  in  twenty-five  minutes,  at  longest. 
Any  small  game  ?” 

“Uncommon  fine  partridges,  sir.” 

“Then  have  a dozen  dressed  and  sent  up,  with  proper 
accompaniments ; and  lose  no  time  about  it ! Also  put 
a bottle  of  Johannisberg  on  ice.” 

“Yes,  sir.” 

The  waiter  vanished. 

“I  must  bid  you  good-by  now,  Mr.  Rockharrt,”  said 
the  duke,  rising. 

“No;  you  must  not.  Sit  down.  Sit  down.  You 
must  lunch  with  me,  and  drink  a parting  glass  of  wine. 
Then  you  will  have  plenty  of  time  to  secure  your  train, 
and  I to  drive  to  Eockhold  at  my  usual  hour.  Say  no 
more,  duke.  Keep  your  seat.” 

Cumbervale  looked  at  the  iron  gray  man  before  him, 
thought  certainly  this  must  be  their  last  meeting  and 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  197 

parting  on  earth,  and  that  therefore  he  would  not  cross 
the  patriarch  in  his  humor. 

^^You  are  very  kind.  Thank  you.  I will  break  a 
parting  bottle  of  wine  with  you  willingly.” 

In  double-quick  time  the  broiled  partridges  were 
served,  the  wine  placed,  and  all  was  ready  for  the  two 
men. 

^^Go  and  tell  Mr.  Fabian  and  Mr.  Clarence  that  I 
wish  them  to  come  here.  You  will  find  them  somewhere 
in  the  house,”  said  Mr.  Eockharrt. 

^^Beg  pardon,  sir;  both  gentlemen  have  gone  over  to 
the  works,”  replied  the  waiter. 

This  was  true.  Both  ^^boys”  had  gorged  themselves 
with  cold  ham,  bread  and  cheese,  washed  down  with 
quarts  of  brown  stout,  and  were  in  no  appetite  to  enjoy 
partridge  and  Johannisberg,  even  if  they  had  been  found 
in  the  hotel. 

^^Glad  they  have  found  out  that  they  must  be  atten- 
tive to  business.  You  and  I,  duke,  will  discuss  the  good 
things  on  the  table  before  us.  Come.” 

The  two  lingered  over  the  luncheon  until  it  was  time 
for  the  duke  to  start  for  the  depot. 

will  send  over  for  my  two  sons,  that  you  may  bid 
them  good-by,”  said  Mr.  Eockharrt,  and  he  turned  to 
the  waiter,  and  told  him  to  go  and  dispatch  a messenger 
to  that  effect. 

Messrs.  Fabian  and  Clarence  soon  put  in  an  appear- 
ance, and  expressed  their  surprise  and  regret  at  the  sud- 
den departure  of  their  father’s  guest,  and  their  hope  and 


198 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

trust  to  see  him  again  in  the  near  future.  Neither  of 
them  seemed  to  know  that  the  betrothal  declared  at  the 
dinner  table  on  the  night  before  had  no  foundation  in 
fact.  The  duke  thanked  them  for  their  good  wishes, 
invited  them  to  visit  him  if  they  should  find  themselves 
in  England,  and  then  he  took  a final  leave  of  the  Rock- 
harrts,  entered  the  carriage,  and  drove  off,  through  a 
pouring  rain,  to  the  railway  station — and  out  of  their 
lives  forever. 

fine  thing  Mistress  Rothsay  has  done !”  exclaimed 
the  Iron  King,  when  his  guest  had  gone,  and  he  ex- 
plained Cora’s  action. 

Corona  had  spent  the  day  at  Rockhold  drearily 
enough.  She  felt  reasonably  sure  that  her  rejection  of 
the  duke’s  hand  would  deeply  offend  her  grandfather 
and  precipitate  a crisis  in  her  own  life.  When  she  had 
finished  her  letter  to  her  brother,  in  which  she  told  him 
of  the  death  of  Mr.  Rockharrt’s  wife  and  added  her  own 
resolution  soon  to  set  out  to  join  him  in  his  distant  fort, 
she  began  to  make  preparations  for  her  journey  in  the 
event  of  having  to  leave  Rockhold  suddenly.  She  knew 
her  grandfather’s  temper  and  disposition,  and  felt  that 
she  must  hold  herself  in  readiness  to  meet  any  emer- 
gencies brought  about  by  their  manifestations.  So  she 
set  about  her  preparations. 

She  had  not  much  to  do.  The  trunks  that  she  had 
packed  and  dispatched  to  the  North  End  railway  station 
three  months  before  at  the  hour  when  her  own  journey 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  199 

was  arrested  by  the  accident  to  her  grandfather  had  re- 
mained in  storage  there  ever  since. 

The  contents  of  her  large  valise,  which  was  to  have 
been  her  own  traveling  companion  in  her  long  journey 
to  and  through  the  ^Ureat  American  Desert/’  and  which 
was  well  packed  with  several  changes  of  clothes  and 
with  small  dressing,  sewing  and  writing  cases,  supplied 
all  her  wants  during  the  three  months  of  her  further  so- 
journ at  Eockhold. 

She  had  only  now  to  collect  these  together,  cause  all 
the  soiled  articles  to  be  laundered,  and  then  repack  the 
valise.  This  occupied  her  all  the  afternoon  of  the  short 
November  day. 

At  six  o’clock  she  came  down  into  the  parlor  to  see 
that  the  lamps  were  trimmed  and  lighted,  and  the  coal 
fire  stirred  up  and  replenished,  so  that  her  grandfather 
should  find  the  room  warm  and  comfortable  on  his  re- 
turn home.  Then  she  brought  out  his  dressing  gown 
and  slippers,  hung  the  first  over  his  arm  chair  and  put 
the  last  on  the  warm  hearthstones. 

At  length  the  carriage  wheels  were  heard  faintly  over 
the  soft,  wet  avenue  and  under  the  pouring  rain. 

Old  John,  waiting  in  the  hall  to  be  ready  to  open  the 
door  in  an  instant,  did  so  before  the  Iron  King  should 
leave  the  carriage,  and  hoisting  a very  large  umbrella, 
he  went  out  to  the  carriage  door  and  held  it  over  his 
master  while  they  walked  back  to  the  house  and  entered 
the  hall. 

^^Here ! take  off  my  rubber  cloak ! Take  off  my  over- 


200 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


coat!  Now  my  rubber  boots!  Wbat  a night!”  ex- 
claimed the  old  man,  as  he  came  out  of  his  shell,  or 
various  shells. 

Corona  had  the  pitcher  of  punch  on  the  table  now 
with  a cut-glass  goblet  beside  it. 

‘T  hope  you  have  not  taken  cold,  grandfather,”  she 
said,  drawing  his  easy  chair  nearer  the  fire. 

“Hold  your  tongue!  Don’t  dare  to  speak  to  me! 
Leave  the  room  this  instant!  John!  come  in  here. 
Pour  me  out  a glass  of  that  punch,  and  while  I sip  it 
draw  off  my  boots  and  put  on  my  slippers,”  said  the  Iron 
King,  throwing  himself  into  his  big  easy  chair  and  lean- 
ing back. 

Corona  was  more  pained  than  surprised.  She  had 
expected  something  like  this  from  the  Iron  King.  She 
replied  never  a word,  but  passed  into  the  adjoining  din- 
ing room  and  sat  down  there.  Through  the  open  door 
she  could  see  the  old  gentleman  reclining  at  his  ease, 
and  sipping  his  fragrant  hot  punch  while  old  John  drew 
off  his  boots,  rubbed  his  feet,  and  put  on  his  warm  slip- 
pers. Presently  the  waiter  brought  in  the  soup,  put  it 
on  the  table,  and  rang  the  dinner  bell.  Mr.  Eockharrt 
put  down  his  empty  glass,  and  arose  and  came  to  the 
table.  Cora  took  her  place  at  the  head  of  the  board, 
hardly  knowing  whether  she  would  be  allowed  to  remain 
there.  But  her  grandfather  took  not  the  slightest  notice 
of  her.  She  filled  his  plate  with  soup,  and  put  it  on  the 
waiter  held  by  the  young  footman,  who  carried  it  to  his 
master.  In  this  manner  passed  the  whole  dinner  in 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


201 


every  course.  Corona  carved  or  served  the  dishes,  filled 
the  plate  for  her  grandfather,  which  was  taken  to  him 
hy  the  footman.  At  the  end  of  the  heavy  meal  the  Iron 
King  arose  from  the  table  and  said: 

am  going  to  my  own  room.  Mistress  Rothsay,  I 
shall  have  something  to  say  to  you  in  the  morning’^ ; and 
he  went  out. 


CHAPTER  XIII 


cobo]!ta'’s  opportunity 

Corona  Rothsay  stood  behind  her  chair  at  the  head 
of  the  breakfast  table,  waiting  for  Mr.  Rockharrt.  He 
entered  presently,  and  returned  no  answer  to  her  respect- 
ful salutation,  but  moodily  took  his  seat,  raised  the  cover 
from  the  hot  dish  before  him,  and  helped  himself  to  a 
broiled  partridge.  After  the  gloomy  meal  was  finished 
the  Iron  King  arose  from  the  table  and  pushed  back  his 
chair  so  suddenly  and  forcibly  as  to  nearly  upset  his 
servant. 

“Come  into  the  library!  I wish  to  have  a decisive 
talk  with  you  1”  he  said,  in  a harsh  voice,  to  his  grand- 
daughter, as  he  strode  from  the  dining  room. 

Corona,  who  had  finished  her  own  slight  breakfast 
some  minutes  before,  immediately  arose  and  followed 
him.  On  reaching  the  bookery,  old  Aaron  Rockharrt 
sank  heavily  into  his  big  leathern  armchair,  and  pointed, 
sternly,  to  an  opposite  one,  on  which  Corona  obediently 
seated  herself. 

“Look  at  me,  mistress!”  he  said,  placing  his  hands 
upon  the  arms  of  his  chair,  bending  forward  and  gazing 
on  her  with  fixed,  keen  eyes,  that  burned  like  fire 
beneath  the  pent  roof  of  his  shaggy  iron-gray  brows. 

203 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


203 


Corona  looked  up  at  him. 

^‘Do  you  know,  madam,  that  in  rejecting  the  hand  of 
the  Duke  of  Cumbervale  you  have  offered  me  an  unpar- 
donable affront?^’  ' 

^^No,  grandfather,  I did  not  know  it ; and  certainly  I 
never  meant — never  could  possibly  have  meant — ^to  af- 
front you,’’  said  Corona,  deprecatingly.  ^Tf  I have  been 
so  unhappy  as  to  disappoint  your  wishes,  I am  very 

sorry,  my  dear  grandfather,  but ” 

He  harshly  interrupted  her. 

^Ho  not  you  dare  to  call  me  grandfather,  either  now 
or  ever  again ! I disclaim  forever  that  relationship,  and 
all  relationship  with  the  false,  flirting,  coquettish,  un- 
principled creature  that  you  are ! Your  late  suitor  may 
fcrgive  your  treachery  to  him,  beguiling  him  by  your 
once  pretended  preference  to  pass  by  all  eligible  matches 
and  cross  the  ocean  for  your  sake ! Yes,  he  may  forgive 
you,  because  he  is  a fool  (being  a duke)  ! But  as  for 
me — I will  never  pardon  the  outrageous  affront  you 
have  put  upon  me,  in  rejecting  the  man  of  my  choice! 

Never,  as  long  as  I live,  so  help  me ” 

^^Oh ! — oh,  grandfather  I”  cried  Corona,  arresting  his 
half-sworn  oath,  ^^don’t  say  that  I I am  sorry  to  have 
crossed  your  will  in  this  matter,  or  in  any  way ; but,  oh, 

my  dear  grandfather ” 

^^Stop  there  I”  vociferated  the  Iron  King,  with  a 
stamp.  am  no  grandfather  of  yours!  How  dare 
you  insult  me  with  the  name  when  I have  forbidden  you 
to  do  so  ?” 


204 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


beg  your  pardon,  sir.  It  was  a mere  slip  of  tbe 
tongue.  I spoke  impulsively.  I had  forgotten  your 
prohibition.  I shall  not  certainly  ofiend  in  that  way 
again,”  said  Corona,  quietly. 

“You  had  better  not!” 

“I  was  about  to  say,  when  you  interrupted  me,”  re- 
sumed Cora,  earnestly,  “that  I am  grieved  to  have  been 
compelled  to  disappoint  you  by  rejecting  the  Duke  of 
Cumbervale;  but,  sir,  I could  not  do  otherwise.  I 
could  not  accept  a man  whom  I could  not  love.  To  have 
done  so  would  have  been  a great  sin.  Surely,  sir,  you 
must  know  it  would  have  been  a sin,”  pleaded  Corona. 

“Stuff  and  nonsense !”  roared  the  Iron  King.  “Don’t 
dare  to  talk  such  sentimental  rubbish  to  me ! You  can’t 
love  him,  can’t  you  ? Tell  that  to  an  idiot,  not  to  me ! 
When  we  were  in  London,  two  or  three  years  ago,  you 
loved  him  so  well  that  you  were  ready  to  break  your 
engagement  with  your  betrothed  husband,  Eegulas 
Eothsay,  in  order  to  marry  this  duke.  Yes;  and  you 
would  certainly  have  done  so  if  I had  not  put  a stop  to 
the  affair  by  having  an  explanation  with  the  suitor,  tell- 
ing him  of  your  prior  engagement,  and  also  of  your 
want  of  fortune,  and  bringing  you  back  home  to  your 
forgotten  duties.” 

“Oh,  sir,  I deserve  all  your  reproaches  for  that  for- 
getfulness. I was  very  wrong  then,”  said  Cora,  with  a 
sigh. 

“Bosh ! You  are  always  wrong !”  sneered  old  Aaron 
Eockharrt.  “And  you  always  will  be  wrong!  You 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


205 


were  wrong  when  you  wished  to  break  your  engage- 
ment with  Eegulas  Eothsay  to  marry  the  Duke  of  Cum- 
bervale,  and  you  are  wrong,  now  that  you  are  free,  to 
reject  the  man.  Why,  look  at  it:  Now  that  you  have 
been  a widow  for  more  than  two  years,  and  Cumbervale 
has  proved  his  constancy  by  remaining  a bachelor  two 
years  for  your  sake,  and  crossing  the  ocean  and  coming 
down  here  to  propose  for  you  again,  and  even  after  I — 
I myself — ^have  positively  promised  him  your  hand,  and 
have  given  a family  dinner  in  honor  of  the  occasion, 
and  have  announced  the  engagement,  and  after  speeches 
have  been  made  and  toasts  have  been  drunk  to  the  hap- 
piness and  prosperity  of  your  married  life,  and  all  due 
formalities  of  betrothal  had  been  observed,  then,  mis- 
tress, what  do  you  do?^^  severely  demanded  old  Aaron 
Eockharrt. 

^^Only  my  duty  under  the  circumstances.  I was  not 
in  the  least  bound  or  compromised  by  or  responsible 
for  anything  that  was  said  or  done  at  that  dinner  table,’’ 
replied  Corona. 

'^This  is  what  you  do : You  dare  to  set  me  at  defiance ! 
You  dare  to  set  your  will  against  mine ! You  dare  to 
reject  the  man  whom  I chose  for  your  husband,  whom  I 
announced  as  your  betrothed  husband!  You  dare  to 
drive  him  away  from  my  house,  grieved,  disappointed, 
humiliated,  to  become  a wanderer  over  the  face  of  the 
earth  for  your  sake,  even  as  you  drove  Eegulas  Eothsay 
from  the  goal  of  his  ambition  into  exile,  and 


206  AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

A sharp  cry  from  Corona  suddenly  stopped  him  in 
full  career. 

^^Do  not,  oh ! do  not  speak  of  that ! I — I would  have 
given  my  life  to  have  prevented  Rule’s  loss,  if  I could ! 
As  for  this  man — this  duke — he  is  nothing  whatever  to 
me  and  never  can  be !” 

^^And  yet  you  were  ready  to  fall  dovm  and  worship 
him  three  years  ago !” 

^Tt  was  a brief  insanity — a self-delusion.  That  is  past. 
Cumbervale  never  was  and  never  can  be  anything  to 
me.  No  man  can  ever  be  anything  to  me ! I could  not 
live  Rule’s  wife,  but  I will  die  Rule’s  widow ; and  I do 
not  care  how  soon — the  sooner  the  better,  if  it  were  the 
Lord’s  will !”  moaned  Corona. 

^^Drivel!”  angrily  exclaimed  old  Aaron  Rockharrt. 
am  tired  of  your  idiotic,  imbecile  hypocrisies ! Here 
are  two  men  driven  away  by  your  unprincipled  vacilla- 
tion— to  call  your  conduct  by  the  lightest  name.  One 
driven  to  his  death ; one  driven,  it  may  be,  to  his  ruin. 
It  is  quite  time  you  were  sent  to  follow  your  victims. 
Look  you!  I am  just  about  to  start  for  North  End.  I 
shall  return  home  at  my  usual  time  this  evening.  Do 
not  let  me  find  you  here  when  I arrive,  for  I never  wish 
to  see  your  false  face  again !”  said  the  Iron  King,  rising 
from  his  arm  chair  and  striding  from  the  room. 

Corona  started  up  and  ran  after  him,  pleading,  im- 
ploring— 

^^Grandfather  I Dear  grandfather  I Oh,  I beg  par- 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  207 

don ! I forgot ! Sir ! sir ! Oh,  do  not  part  from  me  in 
this  way!” 

He  turned  sharply,  stared  at  her  mockingly,  and  then 
demanded : 

^Uome!  Shall  I call  Cumbervale  back?  Tell  him 
that  you  have  changed  your  whirligig  mind,  and  are 
ready  to  marry  him,  if  he  will  only  take  time  by  the 
forelock  and  return  before  you  shift  around  again?  I 
can  easily  do  that.  I can  send  a telegram  that  will  over- 
take him  and  turn  him  back  so  promptly  that  he  may  be 
here  in  twenty-four  hours ! Come  I Shall  I do  that  ?” 

Corona,  who  had  been  gazing  at  the  mocking  speaker 
scarcely  knowing  whether  he  spoke  in  earnest  or  in 
irony,  now  answered  despairingly : 

^^Oh,  no,  no ! not  for  the  world  I I have  not  changed 
my  mind.  I could  not  do  so  for  any  cause.” 

^Then  don’t  stop  me.  I’m  in  haste.  I am  going  to 
North  End.  Don’t  let  me  find  you  here  when  I come 
back.  Don’t  let  me  ever  see  or  hear  from  you  again, 
without  your  consent  to  marry  the  man  I have  chosen 
for  you.  John!” 

^^Oh,  sir,  consider ” began  Corona,  pleadingly. 

^^John!”  vociferated  the  Iron  King,  pushing  rudely 
past  her. 

The  old  servant  came  hurrying  up,  helped  his  master 
on  with  his  overcoat  and  with  his  rubber  coat,  then  gave 
him  his  hat  and  gloves,  and  finally  hoisted  a large  um- 
brella to  hold  over  his  master’s  head  as  he  passed  from 
the  house  to  the  carriage  in  front. 


208 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


Corona  stood  watching  until  the  carriage  rolled  away 
and  old  John  came  back  into  the  hall  and  closed  the 
door.  Then  she  returned  to  the  library  and  sank  sob- 
bing into  the  big  leathern  chair.  She  now  realized  for 
the  first  time  what  the  parting  with  her  grandfather 
would  be — ^the  parting  with  the  gray  old  man  who  had 
been  the  ogre  of  her  childhood,  the  terror  of  her  youth, 
and  the  autocrat  of  her  maturity,  and  yet  whom,  by  all 
the  laws  of  nature,  she  tenderly  loved,  and  whom  by  the 
commandment  of  God  she  was  bound  to  honor. 

She  glanced  mechanically  toward  the  card  rack,  and 
saw  there  another  letter  in  the  handwriting  of  her 
brother — a letter  that  had  come  in  the  morning’s  mail 
and  had  been  stuck  up  there,  and  in  the  excitement  of 
the  hour  had  been  neglected  or  forgotten. 

She  seized  it  eagerly  and  tore  it  open,  wondering  what 
could  have  urged  Sylvan  to  write  so  soon  after  his  last 
letter. 

It  was  dated  three  weeks  later  than  the  one  she  had 
received  only  the  day  previous,  the  first  one  having,  no 
doubt,  been  delayed  somewhere  along  the  uncertain 
route. 

In  this  letter  Sylvan  complained  that  he  had  not  re- 
ceived a word  from  his  dear  sister  since  leaving  Gov- 
ernor’s Island,  and  mentioned  that  he  himself  had  writ- 
ten all  along  the  line  of  march  and  three  times  since  the 
arrival  of  his  regiment  at  Fort  Farthermost. 

But  he  admitted,  also,  that  the  mails  beyond  the  regu- 
lar United  States  mail  roads  were  very  uncertain  and 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  . 209 

irregular.  Then  lie  came  to  the  object  of  this  particular 
epistle. 

^Tt  is,  my  dear  Cora,  to  tell  you,’’  he  wrote,  ^^that  if 
you  should  still  be  resolved  to  come  out  and  join  me 
here,  an  opportunity  for  your  safe  conduct  will  be  of- 
fered you  this  autumn  which  may  never  occur  again. 
Our  senior  captain — Captain  Neville,  Company  A — has 
been  absent  on  leave  for  several  months.  So  he  did  not 
come  out  here  with  the  regiment.  His  leave  expires  on 
the  30th  of  November.  He  will  be  obliged  to  start  in 
the  latter  part  of  October  in  order  to  have  time  enough 
to  accomplish  the  tedious  journey  by  wagon  from  Leav- 
enworth to  Fort  Farthermost,  which  is,  as  I believe  I 
told  you,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  Indian  Reserve,  bor- 
dering on  Texas.  He  is  to  bring  his  wife  with  him. 

^^But  our  colonel  thinks  it  is  I who  want  you,  and, 
moreover,  I who  need  you ; for  he  says  that,  next  to  a 
wife,  a sister  is  the  best  safeguard  a young  officer  can 
have  out  in  these  frontier  forts,  and  he  gave  me  the  ad- 
dress of  Captain  Neville  and  advised  me  to  write  to  him 
and  ask  him  and  his  wife  to  take  charge  of  my  sister  on 
the  route. 

^^And  then,  dear,  he  went  further  than  that.  He  took 
my  letter  after  I had  written  it,  and  inclosed  it  in  one 
from  himself.  So  now,  my  dear,  all  you  have  to  do  is 
to  go  to  Washington,  call  on  Mrs.  Neville,  at  Brown’s 
Hotel,  Pennsylvania  Avenue,  and  send  up  your  card. 
She  will  expect  you.  Then  you  must  hold  yourself  in 
readiness  to  start  when  the  captain  and  his  wife  do.’’ 


210 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


Cora  had  no  time  to  indulge  in  reverie.  She  must  he 
up  and  doing. 

Her  luggage  had  long  been  stored  in  the  freight  house 
of  the  North  End  railway  station,  and  her  traveling 
hags  had  been  packed  the  day  before.  The  servants 
knew  she  was  going  out  to  join  her  brother,  though  they 
did  not  know  that  her  grandfather  had  discarded  her. 
She  had  very  little  to  do  for  herself  on  that  day,  but  she 
resolved  to  do  all  that  she  could  for  the  comfort  of  her 
grandfather  before  she  should  leave  the  house  forever. 

So  she  went  and  ordered  the  dinner — just  such  a din- 
ner as  she  knew  he  would  like.  Then  she  called  old 
John  to  her  presence  and  directed  him  to  have  the  par- 
lor prepared  for  his  master  just  as  carefully  as  if  she 
herself  were  on  the  spot  to  see  it  done ; to  have  the  fire 
bright ; the  hearth  clean ; the  lamps  trimmed  and  light- 
ed; the  shutters  closed  and  the  curtains  drawn;  the 
easy  chair,  with  dressing  gown  and  slippers,  before  the 
fire,  and,  lastly,  a jug  of  hot  punch  on  the  hearth. 

Old  John  promised  faithfully  to  perform  all  these 
duties.  Then  Cora  went  and  wrote  two  letters. 

One  to  her  brother  Sylvan,  in  which  she  acknowledged 
the  receipt  of  his  letter,  expressed  her  thanks  to  the 
colonel  for  his  kindness,  and  assured  him  that  she  should 
gladly  avail  herself  of  the  escort  of  the  Nevilles  and  go 
out  under  their  protection  to  Fort  Farthermost. 

This  letter  she  put  in  the  mail  bag  in  the  hall  ready 
for  the  messenger  to  take  to  the  North  End  postoffice. 

The  second  letter  was  a farewell  to  her  grandfather, 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


211 

in  which  she  expressed  her  sorrow  at  leaving  him  even  at 
his  own  command;  her  grief  at  having  offended  him, 
however  unintentionally;  her  prayers  for  his  forgive- 
ness, and  her  hope  to  meet  him  again  in  health,  happi- 
ness and  prosperity. 

This  letter  Corona  stuck  on  the  card  rack,  where  he 
would  be  sure  to  find  it. 

Then  she  ordered  her  own  little  pony  carriage,  and 
went  and  put  on  her  bonnet  and  her  warm  fur-lined 
cloak  and  called  Mark  to  bring  her  shawls  and  traveling 
bags  down  to  the  hall. 

When  all  this  had  been  done,  Corona  called  all  the 
servants  together,  made  them  each  a little  present,  and 
then  bade  them  good-by. 

Then  she  stepped  into  the  little  carriage  and  bade  the 
groom  to  drive  on  to  Violet  Banks. 

think  I shall  go  no  further  than  that  to-night,  my 
friends,  and  leave  for  Washington  to-morrow  morning,’’ 
she  said,  in  a broken  voice,  as  the  pony  started. 

^^Then  all  ob  us  wot  kin  get  off  will  come  to  bid  yer 
annurrer  good-by  to-morrow  mornin’ !”  came  hoarsely 
from  one  of  the  crowd,  and  was  repeated  by  all  in  a 
chorus. 

The  carriage  rolled  down  the  avenue  to  the  ferry — 
not  that  Corona  intended  to  cross  the  river,  for  Violet 
Banks,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  on  the  same  side  and 
a few  miles  north  of  Eockhold — but  that  she  would  not 
leave  the  place  without  taking  leave  of  old  Moses,  the 
ferryman.  Fortunately  the  boat  lay  idle  at  its  wharf, 


212 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


and  the  old  man  sat  in  the  ferry  house,  hugging  the  stove 
and  smoking  his  pipe. 

He  came  out  at  the  sound  of  wheels.  Corona  called! 
him  to  the  carriage,  told  him  that  she  did  not  want  to 
cross  the  river,  hut  that  she  was  going  away  for  a while 
and  wished  to  take  leave  of  him. 

Now  old  Moses  had  seen  too  many  arrivals  and  de- 
partures to  and  from  Eockhold  to  feel  much  emotion  at 
this  news ; besides  he  had  no  idea  of  the  gravity  of  this 
departure.  So  he  only  touched  his  old  felt  hat  and  said : 

“Eh,  young  mist’ess,  hopes  how  yer’ll  hah  a mons’ous 
lubly  time ! Country  is  dull  for  de  young  folks  in  do 
winter.  Gwine  to  de  city,  s’pose,  young  mist’ess  ?” 

“Yes,  Uncle  Moses,  I’m  going  to  Washington  first,” 
replied  Corona. 

“Lors!  I hear  tell  how  so  many  folkses  do  go  to 
Washintub!  Wunner  wot  dey  go  for?  in  de  winter, 
too ! Lors ! Well,  honey,  I wish  yer  a mighty  fine  time- 
and  a handsome  husban’  afore  yer  comes  home.  Lor’ 
bress  yer,  young  mist’ess !” 

“Thank  you.  Uncle  Moses.  Here  is  a trifle  for  you,” 
said  Cora,  putting  a half  eagle  in  his  hand. 

“Lor’  bress  yer,  young  mist’ess;  how  I do  t’ank  yer 
wid  all  my  heart ! I nebber  had  so  much  money  at  one 
time  in  all  my  life!”  exclaimed  the  overjoyed  old  ferry- 


man. 


CHAPTEE  XIV 


FAREWEIJ.  TO  VIOLET  BANKS 

Along  the  north  road,  between  the  thickly  wooded 
east  ridge  and  the  swiftly  running  river,  Corona  drove 
on  her  last  journey  through  that  valley.  Three  miles 
up,  the  road  turned  from  the  river,  and,  with  several 
windings  and  doublings,  ascended  the  mountain  side  to 
the  elevated  plateau  on  which  were  situated  the  beauti- 
ful house  and  grounds  called  Violet  Banks. 

As  the  carriage  reached  the  magnificent  plateau,  Co- 
rona stopped  the  horse  for  a moment  to  take  in  the 
glory  of  the  view.  In  the  midst  of  her  admiration  of 
this  scenery,  two  distinct  thoughts  were  strongly  borne 
in  on  the  mind  of  Corona.  One  was  that  Violet  Eock- 
harrt  would  never  be  willing  to  leave  this  enchanting 
spot  to  make  her  home  at  Eockhold.  She  might  consent 
to  do  so  to  please  others,  but  she  would  suffer  through  it. 

The  other  thought  was  that  old  Aaron  Eockharrt 
would  never  consent  to  live  in  a place  which,  however 
beautiful  it  might  be,  was  too  difficult  of  access  and 
egress  for  a man  of  his  age. 

What,  then,  could  be  done  to  cheer  the  old  man’s  soli- 
tude at  his  home  ? The  only  hope  lay  in  the  chance  of 

213 


214 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


Mr.  Clarence  finding  a wife  who  might  be  acceptable  to 
his  father,  and  bringing  her  home  to  Eockhold. 

The  carriage  drew  np  before  the  long,  low  villa,  with 
its  vine-clad  porch,  where,  though  the  roses  had  faded 
and  fallen,  the  still  vivid  green  foliage  and  brilliant 
rose  berries  made  a gay  appearance. 

Violet  was  not  sitting  on  the  porch,  beside  her  little 
wicker  workstand  basket,  as  she  always  had  been  found 
by  Cora  in  the  earlier  months  of  her  residence  there, 
but,  nevertheless,  she  saw  her  visitor’s  approach  from 
the  front  windows  of  her  sitting  room,  and  ran  out  to 
meet  her. 

^^Oh,  so  glad  to  see  you ! And  such  a delightful  sur- 
prise !”  were  the  words  with  which  she  caught  Cora  in 
her  arms,  as  the  latter  alighted  from  the  carriage. 

^^How  well  you  look,  dear.  A real  wood  violet  now, 
in  your  pretty  purple  robe,”  said  Corona,  with  assumed 
gayety,  as  she  returned  the  little  creature’s  embrace,  and 
went  with  her  into  the  house. 

am  going  to  send  the  carriage  to  the  stable.  You 
shall  spend  the  afternoon  and  evening  with  me,  whether 
you  will  or  not,  and  whether  the  handsome  lover  breaks 
his  heart  or  not !”  exclaimed  Violet,  as  they  entered  the 
parlor. 

‘^^Don’t  trouble  yourself,  dear.  See,  the  man  is  dri- 
ving around  to  the  stable  now,  and  I have  come,  not  only 
to  spend  the  afternoon,  but  the  night  with  you,”  said 
Cora,  sitting  down  and  beginning  to  unfasten  her  fur 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  215 

cloak.  my  uncle  be  late  in  returning  this  eve- 

ning 

^T^abian  ? Oh,  no ! this  is  his  early  day.  He  will  be 
home  very  soon  now.  But  where  did  you  leave  his 
grace  ? Why  did  he  not  escort  you  here  inquired  the 
little  lady. 

^^Have  you  not  heard  that  he  has  left  Eockhold?’^ 
asked  Corona,  in  her  turn. 

^^Why,  no.  I have  heard  nothing  about  him  since  the 
night  of  the  dinner  given  in  honor  of  your  betrothal. 
Are  you  tired,  Cora,  dear  ? You  look  tired.  Shall  I 
show  you  to  your  room,  where  you  may  bathe  your 
facef^  inquired  Violet,  noticing  for  the  first  time  the 
pale  and  weary  aspect  of  her  visitor. 

^^No ; but  you  may  bring  the  baby  here  to  see  me.^’ 

^^My  baby  ? Oh,  the  little  angel  has  just  been  put  to 
sleep — its  afternoon  sleep.  Come  into  the  nursery,  and 
I will  show  it  to  you,’’  exclaimed  the  proud  and  happy 
mother,  starting  up  and  leading  the  way  to  the  upper 
fioor  and  to  a front  room  over  the  library,  fitted  up  beau- 
tifully as  a nursery.  Corona,  on  entering,  was  con- 
scious of  a blending  of  many  soft  bright  colors,  and  of 
a subdued  rainbow  light,  like  changes  of  the  opal. 

Violet  led  her  directly  to  the  cradle,  an  elegant  struc- 
ture of  fine  light  wood,  satin  and  lace,  in  which  was  en- 
shrined the  jewel,  the  treasure,  the  idol  of  the  household 
— a tiny,  round-headed,  pink-faced  little  atom  of  hu- 
manity, swathed  in  flannel,  cambric  and  lace,  and  cov- 
ered with  fine  linen  sheets  trimmed  with  lace,  little 


210 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


lamb’s-wool  blankets  embroidered  with  silk,  and  a cov- 
erlet of  satin  in  alternate  tablets  of  rose,  azure  and 
pearl  tablets. 

The  delighted  mother  and  the  admiring  visitor  stood 
gazing  at  the  babe,  and  talking  in  low  tones  for  ten  or 
fifteen  minutes  perhaps,  and  were  then  admonished  by 
the  nurse — an  experienced  woman — that  it  was  not  good 
for  such  young  babies  to  be  looked  over  and  talked  over 
so  long  when  they  were  asleep. 

Violet  and  her  visitor  softly  withdrew  from  the  cra- 
dle, and  Corona  had  leisure  to  look  around  the  lovely 
room,  the  carpet  of  tender  green,  like  the  first  spring 
grass,  and  dotted  over  with  buttercups  and  daisies ; the 
wall  paper  of  pearl  white,  with  a vine  of  red  and  white 
roses  running  over  it;  the  furniture  of  curled  maple, 
upholstered  in  fine  chintz,  in  colors  to  match  the  wall 
paper.  But  the  window  curtains  were  the  marvels  of  the 
apartment.  There  were  two  high  front  windows,  draped 
in  rainbow  silk — that  is,  each  breadth  of  the  hangings 
was  in  perfect  rainbow  stripes,  and  the  effect  of  the  light 
streaming  through  them  was  soft,  bright  and  very  beau- 
tiful. 

^Tt  is  a creation ! Whose  inquired  Corona,  as  she 
stood  before  one  of  the  windows. 

^^Well,  it  was  my  idea,  though  I am  not  at  all  noted 
for  ideas,  as  everybody  knows,’’  said  Violet,  with  a 
smile.  ^^But  I wanted  my  baby’s  first  impressions  of 
life  to  be  serenely  delightful  through  every  sense.  I 
wanted  her  to  see,  when  she  should  open  her  eyes  in  the 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  21T 

morning,  a sphere  of  soft  light  and  bright,  delicate 
shades  of  color.  So  I prepared  this  room.’’ 

^^But  where  did  you  find  the  rainbow  draperies  ?” 

^^Oh,  them!  I designed  them  for  my  baby,  and  Fa- 
bian sent  the  pattern  to  Paris,  and  we  received  the  goods 
in  due  time.  I will  tell  you  another  thing.  I have  an 
^Eolian  harp  for  her.  It  is  under  the  front  window  of 
the  upper  hall,  but  its  aerial  music  can  reach  her  here 
when  it  is  in  place.  When  she  is  a little  stronger  I am 
going  to  have  a music  box  for  her.  Oh,  I want  my 
little  baby  to  live  in  a sphere  of  ^sweet  sights,  sweet 
sounds,  soft  touches.’  ” 

A brisk,  firm  footstep,  a cheery,  ringing  voice  in  the 
hall  below,  arrested  the  conversation  of  the  two  women. 

^Tt  is  Fabian!  Come!”  exclaimed  Violet,  joyfully, 
leading  the  way  downstairs. 

Mr.  Fabian  stood  at  the  foot.  He  embraced  his  young 
wife  boisterously,  and  then  seeing  Cora  coming  down- 
stairs behind  Violet,  went  and  shook  hands  with  his 
niece,*  saying: 

^^Glad  to  see  you!  Glad  to  see  you!  Has  Violet 
been  showing  you  our  little  goddess  ? I tell  you  what, 
Cora : everything  has  changed  since  that  usurper  came. 
This  place  is  no  longer  Wiolet  Banks.’  It  is  the  Holy 
Hill.  This  house  is  the  temple;  that  nursery  is  the 
sanctuary ; that  cradle  is  the  altar ; and  that  babe  is  the 
idol  of  the  community.  Now  go  along  with  Violet. 
Oh!  she  is  high  priestess  to  the  idol.  Go  along.  I’m 


218  AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

4 

going  to  wash  my  face  and  hands^  and  then  I’ll  join 
you.” 

Mr.  Fabian  went  upstairs^  and  Cora  followed  Violet 
into  the  parlor. 

^^Here  are  the  English  magazines,  my  dear,  come  this 
morning.  Will  you  look  over  them,  while  I go  and  see 
to  the  dinner  table  ? I will  not  be  gone  more  than  ten 
minutes,”  said  Violet,  lifting  a pile  of  pamphlets  from 
a side  table  and  placing  them  on  a little  stand  near  the 
easy  chair  into  which  Corona  had  thrown  herself. 

^^Certainly,  Violet,  love.  Don’t  mind  me.  Go.” 

Violet  kissed  her  forehead  and  left  the  room. 

Cora  never  touched  the  magazines,  but  sat  with  her 
elbow  on  the  stand  and  her  forehead  resting  on  her 
hand. 

She  sat  motionless,  buried  in  painful  thought  until 
her  Uncle  Fabian  entered  the  room. 

Then  she  looked  up. 

He  came  and  sat  down  near  her;  looked  at  her  in- 
quiringly for  a few  moments ; and  then,  as  she  did  not 
break  the  silence,  he  said : 

^^Well,  Cora?” 

^^Well,  Uncle  Fabian  ?” 

^^What  is  up,  my  dear  ?” 

“I  would  rather  defer  all  explanations  until  after 
dinner,  if  you  please.” 

^Wery  well,  my  dear  Cora.” 

And,  indeed,  there  was  no  time  for  further  talk  just 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  219 

then,  for  Violet  came  hurrying  into  the  room  laughing 
and  exclaiming: 

am  the  pink  of  punctuality,  Cora,  dear.  Here  I 
am  back  again  in  just  ten  minutes.’^ 

The  next  moment  the  dinner  bell  rang,  and  they  all 
went  into  the  dining  room. 

Violet — trained  by  Mrs.  Chief  Justice  Pendletime, 
who  was  a great  domestic  manager — excelled  in  every 
housekeeping  department,  especially,  perhaps,  in  the 
culinary  art;  so  the  little  dinner  was  an  exquisite  one, 
and  thoroughly  enjoyed  by  the  master  and  mistress  of 
the  house,  and  might  have  been  equally  appreciated  by 
their  visitor  if  her  sad  thoughts  had  not  destroyed  her 
appetite. 

After  dinner,  when  they  adjourned  to  the  parlor, 
Violet  said: 

^^Again  I must  beg  you  to  excuse  me,  Cora,  dear, 
while  I go  up  and  put  baby  to  sleep.  It  is  a little  weak- 
ness of  mine,  but  I always  like  to  put  her  to  sleep  my- 
self, though  I have  the  most  faithful  of  all  nurses.  You 
will  excuse  me 

^^Why,  of  course,  darling!’’  Corona  heartily  replied; 
and  the  happy  little  mother  ran  off. 

^^Now,  then,  Cora,  what  is  it  ? You  said  you  would 
explain  after  dinner.  Do  so  now,  my  dear ; for  if  it  is 
anything  very  painful  I would  rather  not  have  my  Wood 
Violet  grieved  by  hearing  it,”  said  Mr.  Fabian,  draw- 
ing his  chair  nearer  to  that  of  Corona. 

^Tt  is  very  painful.  Uncle  Fabian,  and  I also  would 


220 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


like  to  shield  Violet  as  much  as  possible  from  the  grief 
of  knowing  it.  Bnt — is  it  possible  that  you  do  not 
know  what  has  happened  at  Eockhold?’^  gravely  in- 
quired Corona. 

know  this  much:  That  the  announcement  of  an 
engagement  between  yourself  and  the  Englishman  was 
premature  and  unauthorized;  that  you  have  finally  re- 
jected the  suitor — who  has  since  left  Eockhold — and  by 
so  doing  you  have  greatly  enraged  our  Iron  King.  I 
know  no  more  than  that,  Cora.’’ 

^^What ! Has  not  my  grandfather  told  you  anything 
to-day  ?” 

^^Not  one  word.” 

^Then  I must  tell  you.  He  has  cast  me  off  forever.” 

^^Cora!  Cora!” 

^Tt  is  true,  indeed.  This  morning  he  ordered  me  to 
quit  his  house ; not  to  let  him  find  me  still  there  on  his 
return ; never  to  let  him  see  or  hear  from  me  again  un- 
less it  was  with  my ' consent  to  recall  and  marry  my 
English  suitor.” 

^^But,  Cora,  my  dear,  why  can  you  not  come  into  his 
conditions  ? Why  can  you  not  marry  Cumbervale  ? He 
is  a splendid  fellow  every  way,  and  he  loves  you  as  hard 
as  a horse  can  kick.  He  is  . awfully  in  love  with  you, 
my  dear.  Now,  why  not  marry  him  and  make  every- 
body happy  and  all  serene 

^^Because,  Uncle  Fabian,  I don’t  happen  to  be  in 
love  with  him,”  replied  Corona,  with  just  a shade  of  dis- 
dain in  her  manner. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


221 


‘^Well,  my  dear,  I will  not  undertake  to  persuade  you 
to  change  your  mind.  If  you  have  inherited  nothing 
else  from  the  Iron  King,  you  have  his  strength  of  will. 
What  are  you  going  to  do,  Cora 

am  going  to  carry  out  my  purpose  of  going  to  the 
Indian  Reserve  as  missionary  to  the  Indian  tribes,  to 
devote  all  my  time  and  all  my  fortune  to  their  welfare.” 

mad  scheme,  my  dear  Cora.  How  are  you,  a 
young  woman,  going  to  manage  to  do  this  ? Under  the 
auspices  of  what  church  do  you  act  ?” 

^^Under  that  of  the  broad  church  of  Christian  charity 
— ^no  other.” 

^^But  how  are  you  going  to  reach  the  field  of  your 
labors  ? How  are  you  going  to  cross  those  vast  tracts, 
destitute  of  all  inhabitants  except  tribes  of  savages,  des- 
titute of  all  roads  except  the  government  ^trails’  ?” 

^^You  know,  if  you  have  not  forgotten,  that  it  was  my 
purpose  to  join  my  brother  at  his  post,  and  to  establish 
my  school  near  his  fort  and  under  its  protection.” 

^Well,  yes;  I remember  hearing  something  of  the 
sort;  but  really,  Cora,  I thought  it  was  all  talk  since 
Sylvan  went  away.” 

^^But  it  is  more  than  that.  Some  time  late  in  this 
month  I shall  go  out  to  Fort  Farthermost  under  the 
protection  of  Captain  and  Mrs.  Neville.  They  are  now 
in  Washington,  where  I am  going  immediately  to  join 
them.  When  you  read  this  letter,  which  I received  after 
my  grandfather  had  left  me  in  anger  this  morning,  you 
will  understand  all  about  it,”  said  Corona,  drawing  her 


222  AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

brother's  last  letter  from  her  pocket  and  handing  it  to 
her  nncle. 

Mr.  Fabian  took  it  and  read  it  carefully  through; 
then  returned  it  to  her,  saying : 

^Well,  my  dear,  it  does  seem  as  if  there  were  a fate  in 
all  this.  But  what  a journey  is  before  you!  At  this 
season  of  the  year,  too!  But,  Cora,  do  not  let  Violet 
know  that  the  grandfather  has  discarded  you.  It  would 
grieve  her  tender  heart  too  much.  Just  tell  her  that 
you  are  going  out  to  your  brother.  Do  not  even  tell  her 
so  much  as  that  to-night.  It  would  keep  her  from  sleep.’^ 
will  not  hint  the  subject  this  evening,  Uncle  Fa- 
bian. I love  Violet  too  much  to  distress  her.’^ 

^^You  will  have  to  explain  that  your  engagement  with 
the  Englishman  is  at  an  end.’^ 

^Dr  rather  that  it  has  never  had  a beginning,”  said 
Corona. 

^^Very  well,”  assented  Mr.  Fabian.  ^^And  now  I 
must  go  and  dispatch  a messenger  to  North  End  to  fetch 
Clarence  here  to  spend  the  night.  A hasty  leave-taking 
at  the  railway  depot  would  hardly  satisfy  Clarence, 
Cora.” 

know!  And  I thank  you  very  much.  Uncle  Fa- 
bian,” replied  Corona. 

^^Ah,  Violet ! here  you  are,  just  in  time  to  take  my 
place.  I am  going  out  to  send  for  Clarence  to  spend  the 
evening  with  us,”  said  Air.  Fabian,  as  he  passed  his 
young  wife,  who  entered  the  room  as  he  left  it. 

Instead  of  sending  a messenger,  Fabian  put  his  fastest 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


223 


horse  into  his  lightest  wagon,  and  set  off  at  his  best 
speed  himself.  He  reached  North  End  Hotel  in  twenty 
minutes,  and  burst  in  upon  Clarence,  finding  that  gen- 
tleman seated  in  an  arm  chair  before  a coal  fire. 

^^Anything  the  matter,  Fabian?’’  he  inquired,  look- 
ing up  in  surprise. 

^^Yes ! The  devil’s  to  pay ! The  monarch  has  driven 
his  granddaughter  from  court!”  exclaimed  the  elder 
brother,  throwing  his  hat  upon  the  floor,  and  dropping 
into  a chair. 

^^Tou  don’t  mean  to  say ” 

^^Yes,  I do  I Father  has  turned  Cora  out  of  doors  be- 
cause she  refused  to  marry  the  Englishman.” 

^Uood  Heaven!” 

^^Come!  There  is  no  time  to  talk!  Cora  is  at  my 
house.  She  leaves  for  Washington  to  join  Captain  and 
Mrs.  Neville,  and  go  out  with  them  to  Fort  Farther- 
most.” 

^^But  look  here,  Fabian.  Why  do  you  let  her  do  that  ?” 

^^Don’t  be  a fool ! Who  is  to  stop  her  if  she  is  bound 
to  go  ? Come,  hurry  up ; put  on  your  overcoat  and  get 
into  my  trap,  and  I will  take  you  back  with  me,  see 
Cora,  and  stay  all  night  with  us.” 

Mr.  Clarence  started  up,  rang  for  a waiter  to  see  to 
his  rooms,  then  put  on  his  overcoat,  and  in  five  minutes 
more  he  was  seated  beside  his  brother  in  the  light  wagon, 
behind  the  fastest  horses  in  Mr.  Fabian’s  stables,  bowl- 
ing out  of  the  village  at  a rate  of  speed  that  I would  not 


224. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


dare  to  state.  It  was  not  nine  o’clock  when  they  reached 
Violet  Banks. 

Mr.  Eabian  drove  around  to  the  stables,  gave  his  team 
up  to  the  groom,  and  walked  back  to  the  house  with 
Clarence. 

“You  must  not  drop  a word  to  Violet  about  Cora’s 
intended  journey.  She  thinks  that  Cora  has  only  come 
to  spend  the  night  with  her.  If  she  knew  otherwise  she 
would  be  too  distressed  to  sleep.  Not  until  after  break- 
fast to-morrow  is  she  to  be  told  that  Cora  is  going  away ; 
and  never  is  she  to  know  that  our  niece  has  been  driven 
away?’ 

“I  understand,  Eabian.  Who  is  going  to  Washing- 
ton with  Cora?” 

“No  one  that  I know  of ; but  she  is  quite  able  to  take 
care  of  herself,  so  far.” 

“I  will  not  have  it  so,  Fabian.  I will  go  with  our 
niece!”  said  Mr.  Clarence. 

“Are  you  mad?  The  monarch  would  never  forgive 
such  misprision  of  treason.  He  would  discard  you, 
Clarence!”  exclaimed  Mr.  Fabian,  in  consternation. 

“I  do  not  think  so.  Our  father  is  too  just  for  that. 
And  in  any  case  I shall  take  the  risk.” 

“The  Iron  King  is  just  in  all  his  business  relations ; 
he  would  not  be  otherwise  to  save  himself  from  bank- 
ruptcy. But  has  he  been  just  to  Cora  ?” 

“From  his  point  of  view.  He  has  not  been  kind; 
that  is  all.  I must  be  kind  to  our  niece  at  all  costs.” 

This  brought  them  to  the  door  of  the  house,  which 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  225 

Mr.  Eabian  opened  with  his  latch  key,  and  the  two  men 
entered  the  parlor  together. 

^^Why,  how  soon  you  have  come!  I am  so  glad!’^ 
exclaimed  Violet,  rising  to  welcome  the  new  visitor. 

^That  is  because,  instead  of  sending,  I went  for  him,” 
explained  Mr.  Fabian. 

^^So  I suspected  when  I found  that  you  did  not  re- 
turn immediately  to  the  parlor,”  said  Violet. 

Mr.  Clarence  meanwhile  went  to  his  niece,  took  her 
hand  and  kissed  her  in  silence.  He  could  not  trust  his 
voice  to  speak.  She  understood  him,  and  returned  the 
pressure  of  his  hand.  If  it  had  not  been  for  Violet,  the 
evening  would  have  passed  very  gloomily ; but  she,  who 
knew  nothing  of  the  domestic  tempest  that  had  driven 
Cora  from  home,  nor  even  of  the  impending  separation 
in  the  morning,  and  who  heartily  enjoyed  the  presence 
of  her  two  favorite  relatives  in  the  house,  kept  the  party 
enlivened  by  her  own  good  spirits  and  gay  talk. 

Once  during  the  evening  Clarence  and  Cora  found 
themselves  far  enough  off  from  their  friends  for  a short 
tete-a-tete,  in  which  there  was  a brief  but  perfect  expla- 
nation between  them. 

Then  Clarence  announced  his  intention  of  escorting 
her  to  Washington  and  seeing  her  safe  under  the  protec- 
tion of  the  Nevilles. 

Cora  strongly  opposed  this  plan,  on  the  ground  that 
his  escort  was  unnecessary  and  might  be  deeply  offen- 
sive to  Mr.  Rockharrt. 

But  Clarence  was  firm. 


S26 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


“You  may  turn  your  back  on  me,  Cora.  You  may  re- 
fuse to  speak  to  me  during  the  whole  journey.  But  you 
cannot  prevent  me  from  going  on  the  same  train  with 
you,  and  so  becoming  your  guardian  on  the  journey,” 
said  Clarence. 

Cora’s  answer  to  this  was  prevented  by  the  approach 
of  Violet,  who  said: 

“Clarence,  it  is  half  past  eleven  o’clock,  and  Cora 
looks  tired  to  death.  Your  room  is  ready  whenever  you 
would  like  to  retire.” 

Acting  upon  this  very  broad  hint,  Mr.  Clarence 
laughed,  kissed  his  niece  good-night,  shook  hands  with 
his  sister-in-law,  and  left  the  room,  preceded  by  Mr.  Fa- 
bian, who  offered  to  show  him  to  his  chamber.  Violet 
conducted  Cora  to  the  room  prepared  for  her,  and,  with 
a warm  embrace,  left  her  to  repose  for  the  last  time  in 
that  house. 


CHAPTEE  XV 


IS  THE  UNEXPECTED  THAT  HAPPENS’^ 

After  her  exciting  and  fatiguing  day,  Corona  slept 
long  and  heavily,  and  when  she  reached  the  family  sit- 
ting room  she  found  her  two  uncles  there  in  conversa- 
tion. 

am  sorry  I kept  you  waiting.  Uncle  Eabian,’’  she 
said,  hurriedly. 

^^You  have  not  done  so,  my  dear.  The  bell  has  not 
yet  rung.’^ 

^^Then  Pm  glad.  Good-morning,  Clarence,’’  she  said, 
turning  to  her  younger  uncle. 

^^Good-morning,  Cora.  How  did  you  sleep  ?” 

^Terfectly,  Clarence,  dear.  I hope  you  will  set  out 
for  North  End  immediately  after  breakfast.  I shall  not 
start  for  Washington  until  to-night.  I shall  spend  the 
day  here,  so  that  after  telling  Violet  of  my  intended 
journey  I may  have  some  little  time  to  reconcile  her  to 
it.” 

^^How  good  you  are,  Cora.  I do  appreciate  this  con- 
sideration for  Violet,”  said  Mr.  Fabian,  earnestly. 

^Tt  is  only  her  due,  uncle.  Well,  Clarence,  since  you 
are  determined  to  escort  me  to  Washington,  whether  or 

227 


S28 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


not,  you  may  meet  me  at  the  depot  for  the  6 :30  express. 
I feel  that  it  is  every  way  better  that  I should  go  by  the 
night  train ; better  for  Violet,  with  whom  I can  thus 
spend  a few  more  hours,  and  better  for  Clarence,  who 
need  not  by  this  arrangement  lose  this  day’s  work.” 

“Quite  so,”  assented  Mr.  Fabian.  “And  now,”  he 
added,  as  light  footsteps  were  heard  approaching  the 
room,  “here  comes  Violet.  Not  a word  about  the  jour- 
ney until  after  breakfast.” 

They  all  went  into  the  breakfast  room,  where  a fra- 
grant, appetizing  meal  was  spread. 

How  different  this  was  from  the  breakfast  at  Rock- 
hold  on  the  preceding  day,  darkened  by  the  sullen  wrath 
of  the  Iron  King  and  eaten  in  the  most  gloomy  silence ! 
Here  were  affectionate  attentions  and  jests  and  laugh- 
ter. Violet  was  in  such  gay  spirits  that  her  vivacity  be- 
came contagious,  and  Fabian  and  Clarence  often  laughed 
aloud,  and  Corona  was  won  to  smile  at  her  sallies. 

At  last  Mr.  Fabian  arose  with  a sigh,  half  of  satisfied 
appetite,  half  of  reluctance  to  leave  the  scene,  and  said : 

“Well,  I suppose  we  must  be  moving.  Clarence,  will 
you  drive  with  me  to  North  End  ?” 

“Certainly.  That  is  all  arranged,  you  know,”  replied 
the  younger  brother. 

Mr.  Fabian  walked  out  into  the  hall,  saying  as  he 
left  the  breakfast  room : 

“Corona,  a word  with  you,  my  dear.” 

Corona  went  to  him,  and  he  said: 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


229 


“After  you  have  had  an  explanation  with  Violet,  per- 
suade her  to  accompany  you  to  North  End.  You  had 
better  come  in  your  own  pony  carriage,  my  dear ; it  is 
so  easy  and  the  horse  so  safe.  And  then,  after  you  have 
left  us,  I can  drive  her  home  in  the  same  vehicle.  And, 
by  the  way,  my  dear,  what  shall  you  do  with  that  little 
turnout  ? Shall  I send  it  to  Hyde’s  livery  stable  for  sale  ? 
You  can  get  double  what  was  given  for  it.  And  remit 
you  the  price  V’ 

“No,  Uncle  Fabian;  it  is  not  to  be  sold.  And  I am 
glad  you  reminded  me  of  it.  I have  intended  all  along 
to  give  it  to  our  minister’s  wife.  She  has  no  carriage  of 
any  sort,  and  she  really  needs  one,  and  she  will  enjoy 
this  because  she  can  drive  the  pony  herself.  So,  after  I 
have  gone,  will  you  please  send  it  to  Mrs.  Melville,  with 
my  love?” 

“Certainly,  my  dear,  with  the  greatest  pleasure.  Cora, 
that  is  well  thought  of.  Now  I must  go  up  to  the  nur- 
sery and  bid  good-by  to  baby,  or  her  mother  would 
never  forgive  me.” 

And  high  and  heavy  Mr.  Fabian  tripped  up  the  stairs 
like  a lamplighter. 

Corona  lingered  in  the  hall,  talking  with  Mr.  Clar- 
ence, who  had  now  come  there  to  put  on  his  overcoat. 
Presently  Mr.  Fabian  came  hurrying  downstairs  alone. 
He  had  left  Violet  in  the  sanctuary. 

“Come,  come,  Clarence,  hurry  up!  We  are  late! 
What  if  the  monarch  should  reach  the  works  before 


2&0  AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

us  ? I shouldn’t  like  to  meet  him  in  his  roused  wrath ! 
Should  you  ? 

“Old  age  ne’er  cooled  the  Douglass  blood!” 

said  Mr.  Fabian,  hurriedly  pulling  on  his  overcoat,  seiz- 
ing hat  and  gloves,  and  with  a hasty-t- 

“Good-by,  Cora,  until  to-night,”  hurried  out  of  the 
front  door. 

He  need  not  have  been  in  such  haste — the  Iron  King 
was  not  destined  to  reach  North  End  in  advance  of  his 
sons  that  morning. 

Mr,  Clarence  kissed  Corona  good-by,  and  hurried 
after  his  elder  brother,  and  then  stopped  short  at  what 
he  saw. 

Mr.  Fabian  was  standing  before  the  carriage  door 
with  one  foot  on  the  step. 

Beside  him  was  a horseman  who  had  just  ridden  up — 
the  horse  in  a lather  of  foam,  the  man  breathless  and 
dazed — telling  some  news  in  broken  sentences;  Mr.  Fa- 
bian listening  pallid  and  aghast. 

“Great  Heaven!  how  sudden!  how  shocking!”  he 
exclaimed  at  last,  turning  back  toward  the  house,  and 
hurrying  up  the  steps. 

“What  is  it  ? What  is  the  matter  ? What  has  hap- 
pened, Fabian?”  anxiously  demanded  Clarence, 

“The  father  has  had  a stroke ! No  time  for  particu- 
lars now!  Take  the  fastest  horse  in  the  stable  and  go 
yourself  to  North  End  to  fetch  the  doctor.  You  can 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


231 


bring  him  sooner  than  any  servant.  I must  go  directly 
on  to  Kockhold.  Cora  must  delay  her  journey  again. 
Be  off,  Clarence!’’  said  Mr.  Fabian. 

And  while  the  elder  brother  returned  to  the  house, 
the  younger  went  to  get  his  horse. 

^^Coral’  called  Mr.  Fabian. 

Corona  came  out  of  the  parlor, 
cannot  go  away  to-day.” 

^^Why  ?”  inquired  the  young  lady. 

^^Don’t  talk ! Listen ! Your  grandfather  is  ill — very 
ill.  Old  John  has  just  come  from  Eockhold  to  tell  me.” 

^^Oh  I I am  very  sorry.” 

^^No  time  for  words!  Go  put  on  your  bonnet,  and 
come  along  with  me ; the  carriage  that  was  to  have  taken 
me  to  North  End  must  take  us  both  to  Eockhold.  Hurry, 
Cora.” 

^^But  Violet  ?” 

will  go  and  tell  Violet  that  the  grandfather  is  not 
feeling  very  well,  and  has  sent  for  you.  I can  do  this 
while  you  are  getting  ready  to  go.  Then  come  into  the 
nursery  and  bid  Violet  good-by.” 

Corona  hurried  up  to  her  room,  and  quickly  put  on 
her  bonnet  and  fur-lined  cloak,  and  then  ran  into  the 
nursery,  where  she  found  Violet  nursing  her  baby,  look- 
ing serious  but  composed,  and  evidently  unconscious  of 
old  Aaron  Eockharrt’s  danger.  Mr.  Fabian  was  stand- 
ing at  the  back  of  her  chair,  so  that  she  might  not  read 
the  truth  in  his  face. 

^^So  you  are  going  home  so  suddenly,  Cora,  dear  ? I 


232 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


am  so  sorry  the  father  is  not  feeling  well  that  I cannot 
even  ask  you  to  stay  here  a moment  longer.  Give  my 
love  to  the  father,  and  tell  him  if  he  does  not  get  better 
in  a day  or  two  I shall  be  sure  to  come  and  nurse  him.” 

She  could  not  rise  without  disturbing  her  precious 
baby,  but  she  raised  her  head  and  put  up  her  lips,  that 
Cora  might  kiss  her  good-by.  Then  Cora  followed  her 
uncle  downstairs,  and  in  five  minutes  more  they  were 
seated  in  the  carriage,  slowly  winding  their  way  down 
the  dangerous  mountain  pass  to  the  river  road  that  led 
to  Eockhold. 

^'Uncle  Eabian,”  said  Corona,  gravely,  “I  have  been 
trying  to  think  what  is  right  for  me  to  do.  This  sorrow- 
ful news  took  me  so  completely  by  surprise,  and  your 
directions  were  so  prompt  and  peremptory,  that  I had 
not  a moment  for  reflection;  so  that  I followed  your 
lead  automatically.  But  now.  Uncle  Fabian,  I have 
considered,  and  I ask  you  as  I have  asked  myself — am  I 
right  in  going  back  to  Eockhold,  after  my  grandfather 
has  sent  me  away,  and  forbidden  me  ever  to  return  ? Tell 
me.  Uncle  Fabian.” 

“My  dear,  what  do  you  yourself  wish  to  do  ?”  he  in- 
quired. 

“To  return  to  Eockhold  and  nurse  my  grandfather,  if 
he  will  allow  me  to  do  so.” 

“Then  by  all  means  do  so.” 

“But,  Uncle  Fabian — against  my  grandfather’s  ex- 
press command  ?” 

“Good  Heaven,  girl!  Those  ‘commands’  were  issued 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


233 


by  a well  and  angry  man.  You  are  returning  to  min- 
ister to  an  ill  and  perhaps  a dying  one.” 

^^Still,  Uncle  Fabian,  would  it  not  seem  to  be  taking 
advantage  of  my  grandfather’s  helpless  state  to  return 
now,  after  he  had  forbidden  me  to  enter  his  house  ? I 
think  it  would.  And  the  more  I reflect  upon  the  sub- 
ject, the  surer  I feel  that  I ought  not  to  enter  Eockhold 
unbidden.  And — I will  not.” 

^^Tou  will  not!  What!  Can  you  show  resentment 
to  your  stricken — it  may  be  dying — ^grandfather  ?” 

^^Heaven  forbid ! But  I must  not  disobey  his  injunc- 
tion, now  that  he  is  too  helpless  to  prevent  me.  No, 
Uncle  Fabian,  I must  not  enter  the  house.  But  neither, 
will  I be  far  from  it.  I will  remain  within  call.” 
^mere  ?” 

^^At  the  ferryman’s  cottage.  Will  you.  Uncle  Fabian, 
as  soon  as  you  have  an  opportunity,  say  that  I am  deep- 
ly grieved  for  all  that  has  estranged  us?  Will  you  ask 
him  to  forgive  me  and  let  me  come  to  him  ?” 

^^Yes;  I will  do  so,  my  dear,  if  there  is  an  opportu- 
nity. But,  Cora,  I think  you  are  morbidly  scrupulous.  I 
think  that  you  should  come  to  the  house.  He  may  wish 
to  see  you  if  he  should  have  a lucid  interval,  and  there 
may  not  be  time  to  send  for  you.” 

must  risk  that  rather  than  disobey  him  in  his  ex- 
tremity.” 

^^As  you  will,”  replied  Mr.  Fabian.  And  no  more 
was  said  on  the  subject. 

When  they  reached  the  foot  of  the  mountain  and  the 


234 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


level  of  tlie  river  road^  the  horses  were  put  upon  their 
speed,  and  they  soon  arrived  at  Eockhold. 

will  wait  in  the  carriage,  until  you  go  in  and  in- 
quire how  he  is,^^  said  Corona,  as  the  vehicle  drew  up 
before  the  front  door. 

Mr.  Fabian  got  out  and  hurried  up  the  steps.  The 
door  stood  open,  cold  as  the  day  was,  and  all  things 
wore  the  neglected  aspect  of  a dwelling  wherein  the 
master  lay  stricken  unto  death.  The  housekeeper,  Mar- 
tha, was  coming  down  the  stairs  and  crying. 

^^How  is  your  master?’^  breathlessly  inquired  Mr. 
Fabian. 

^Uh,  Marse  Fabe,  sir,  jes’  livin^  an’  dat’s  all!” 
sobbed  the  woman.  ^^Dunno  nufiin.  Lay  in’  dere  jes’ 
like  a dead  corpe,  ’cept  for  breavin’  hard,”  wept  the 
woman. 

^^Who  is  with  him  ?” 

^^Me  mos’  times  an’  young  Mark.  I jes’  come  down 
to  speak  ’long  o’  you,  Marse  Fabe,  w’en  I see  de  carriage 
dribe  up.” 

^^Well,  go  back  to  your  master.  I will  speak  to  my 
niece,  and  then  come  in,”  said  Mr.  Fabian,  as  he  hur- 
ried out  to  the  carriage.  All  his  interview  with  the 
housekeeper  had  not  occupied  two  minutes,  but  Cora 
was  pale  with  suspense  and  anxiety. 

^^How  is  he  ?”  she  panted. 

^^Unconscious,  my  poor  girl.  Oh,  Cora!  come  in!” 

^^No,  no;  I must  not.  Not  until  he  permits  me.  I 
will  stop  at  the  ferryman’s  cottage.  Oh,  if  he  should  re- 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  235 

cover  consciousness — oh,  Uncle  Eabian,  ask  him  to  let 
me  come  to  him,  and  send  me  word/’ 

‘^^Yes,  yes;  I will  do  it.  I must  go  to  him  now. 
Charles,”  he  said,  turning  to  the  coachman,  ^^drive  Mrs. 
Eothsay  down  to  the  ferry  house,  and  then  take  the  car- 
riage to  the  stables.” 

And  then,  with  a grave  nod  to  Corona,  Mr.  Fabian 
re-entered  the  house.  The  coachman  drove  the  carriage 
down  to  the  ferryman’s  cottage  and  drew  up.  The  door 
was  open  and  the  cottage  was  empty. 

^^Boat  on  t’other  side,  ma’am,”  said  Charles. 

^For  the  doctor,  I suppose — and  hope,”  said  Corona, 
looking  across  the  river,  and  seeing  a gig  with  two  men 
coming  on  to  the  ferryboat. 

She  watched  from  the  door  of  the  ferryman’s  cottage 
while  Charles  drove  off  the  empty  carriage  toward  the 
stables  and  the  two  ferrymen  poled  their  boat  across  the 
river.  She  retreated  Avithin  the  house  before  the  boat 
touched  the  land,  for  she  knew  that  the  doctor,  if  he 
should  see  her  there,  would  wonder  why  she  was  not  at 
her  grandfather’s  bedside,  and  perhaps — as  he  was  an 
old  friend — he  might  ask  questions  which  she  would 
find  it  embarrassing  to  answer.  The  boat  touched  the 
shore ; the  gig,  containing  the  doctor  and  Mr.  Clarence, 
rolled  off  the  boat  on  along  the  drive  leading  to  the 
house. 

Meanwhile  Mr.  Fabian  had  re-entered  the  hall  and 
hurried  up  to  his  father’s  room.  He  found  the  Iron 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


fm 

King  in  bed,  lying  on  his  right  side  and  breathing  heav- 
ily. His  eyes  were  half  closed. 

“Eather,”  said  the  son,  in  a low  voice,  taking  his  hand 
and  bending  over  him. 

There  was  no  response. 

“It  ain’t  no  use,  Marster  Fabe.  Yer  can’t  rouse  him, 
do  wot  yer  will.  Better  wait  till  de  doctor  come,  young 
marse.  I done  been  tried  all  I knowed  how,  but  it  wa’n’t 
no  use,”  said  Martha,  who  stood  on  the  other  side  of  the 
bed  watching  her  insensible  master. 

“Tell  me  when  this  happened.  Come  away  to  the 
upper  end  of  the  room  and  tell  me  about  it.” 

“Might’s  well  tell  yer  right  here,  marse.  ’Twon’t 
sturve  him.  Lor!  thunder  wouldn’t  sturve  him,  the 
way  he  is  in.” 

“Then  tell  me,  how  was  it  ? When  was  he  stricken  ?” 

“We  don’t  know,  marse.  He  was  found  jes’  dis  way 
by  John  dis  mornin’ — ^not  jes’  zackly  dis  way,  how- 
aseber,  case  he  was  a-layin’  on  his  lef’  side,  w’ieh  was 
berry  bad;  so  me  an’  John  turn  him  ober  jes’  so  like  he 
is  a-layin’  now.  Den  we  sent  right  off  for  you,  marse,  to 
ketch  yer  at  home  ’fore  yer  went  to  de  works.” 

“Did  he  seem  well  when  he  came  home  last  night  ?” 

“Jes’  ’bout  as  ujual,  marse.  He  came  in,  an’  John  he 
waited  on  him.  An’  he  ax,  ole  marse  did,  Svas  Mrs. 
Rossay  gone?’  W’ich  John  tole  him  she  were.  Den 
he  ordered  dinner  to  be  fetch  up.  An’  John  he  had  a 
pitcher  ob  hot  punch  ready.  An’  ole  marse  drank  some. 
Den  he  went  in  to  dinner  all  by  hisself.  An’  young 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


2S7 


Mark  he  waited  on  de  table,  w’ich  he  tell  me,  w^en  I ax 
him  dis  mornin’,  how  de  ole  marse  eat  much  as  ujual, 
wid  a good  relish.  Den  arter  dinner  he  went  to  de  libe- 
rairy  and  sot  dere  a long  time.  Ole  John  say  it  were 
midnight  To^  de  ole  marse  walk  upstairs  an’  call  him  to 
wait  on  him.” 

^Was  John  the  last  one  who  saw  my  father  before 
he  was  found  unconscious  this  morning  ?” 

^^Hi ! yes,  young  marse,  to  be  sure  he  were.  De  las’ 
to  see  de  ole  marse  in  healt’  las’  night,  an’  de  firs’  to  fine 
him  dis  way  dis  mornin’.” 

^^How  came  he  to  find  his  master  in  this  condition  ?” 

^Tt  was  dis  way.  Yer  know,  young  marse,  as  dere  is 
two  keys  to  ole  marser’s  do’,  w’ich  ole  marse  keeps  one 
in  his  room  to  lock  hisse’f  in,  an’  John  keeps  one  to  let 
hisse’f  in  w’en  de  ole  marse  rings  for  him  in  de  mornin’.” 

^^Yes,  I know.” 

^Well,  dis  mornin’  de  ole  marse  didn’t  ring  at  his 
ujual  hour.  An’  de  time  passed,  an’  de  breakfast  were 
ready  an’  spilin’.  So  I tole  J ohn  how  he  better  go  up 
an’  see  if  ole  marse  was  well,  how  maybe  he  didn’t  feel 
like  gettin’  up  an’  might  want  to  take  his  breakfas’  in 
bed.  But  Lor!  I nebber  participated  sich  a sarious 
’tack  as  dis.  Well,  den,  John  he  went  an’  rapped  soft 
like.  But  he  didn’  get  no  answer.  Den  he  rap  little 
louder.  But  still  no  answer.  Den  John  he  got  scared, 
awful  scared.  Las’  John  he  plucks  up  courage,  an’  un- 
locks de  do’,  slow  an’  saf’,  an’  goes  in  on  tiptoe  to  de 
bedside,  an’ — an’ — an’ — dis  yer  is  wot  he  seen.  He 


238 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


t’oTight  his  ole  marse  were  dead  sure,  an’  he  come  howl- 
in’ an’  tumblin’  down  to  me,  an’  tole  me  so,  an’  I called 
young  Mark  to  follow  me,  case  ole  John  wa’n’t  no  good, 
an’  I run  up  yere,  an’ — an’ — an’  dis  yer  is  wot  I foun’ ! 
O’ly  he  were  a-layin’  (m  his  lef’  side,  an’  I see  he  were 
breavin’  an’  I turn  him  ober  on  his  right,  an’  did  all  I 
could  for  him,  an’  sent  John  arter  you.” 

“I  wish  the  doctor  would  come,”  said  Mr.  Eabian, 
anxiously,  as  he  took  his  father’s  hand  again  and  tried 
to  feel  the  pulse. 

The  door  opened  very  quietly,  and  Clarence  came 
into  the  room.  Fabian  beckoned  him  to  approach  the 
bed. 

“How  is  he?”  inquired  the  younger  man. 

“As  you  see ! He  was  found  in  this  condition  by  his 
servant  this  morning.  He  has  shown  no  sign  of  con- 
sciousness since,”  replied  the  elder. 

“The  doctor  is  below.  Shall  he  come  up  now  ?” 

“Certainly.” 

Clarence  left  the  room  and  soon  returned  with  the 
physician.  After  a very  brief  examination  of  pulse, 
temperature,  the  pupils  of  the  eyes  of  the  patient, 
prompt  measures  were  taken  to  relieve  the  evident  pres- 
sure on  the  brain.  The  doctor  bled  the  sufferer,  who 
presently  opened  his  eyes,  and  looked  slowly  around  his 
bed.  His  two  sons  bent  over  him. 

He  tried  to  speak. 

They  bent  lower  still  to  listen. 

After  several  futile  efforts  he  uttered  one  word : 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


^^Cora.’’ 

^^Yes,  father — she  is  here.  Go,  Clarence,  and  fetch 
her  at  once.  She  is  at  the  ferryman’s  cottage.” 

The  last  sentence  was  added  in  a low  whisper.  Clar- 
ence immediately  left  the  room  to  do  his  errand.  Fifteen 
minutes  later  the  door  opened  softly,  and  Clarence  re- 
entered the  room  with  Cora. 

Mr.  Fabian  went  to  meet  her,  saying  softly: 

^^He  has  called  for  you,  my  dear ! The  only  word  he 
has  spoken  since  he  recovered  consciousness  was  your 
name.” 

^^So  Uncle  Clarence  told  me,”  she  said,  in  a broken 
voice. 

^Uome  to  him  now,”  said  Fabian,  leading  her  to  the 
bedside. 

She  sank  on  her  knees  and  took  the  hand  of  the  dying 
man  and  kissed  it,  pleading: 

^^Grandfather,  dear  grandfather,  I love  you.  I am 
grieved  at  having  offended  you.  Will  you  forgive  me 
— now  ?” 

He  made  several  painful  efforts  to  answer  her,  before 
he  uttered  the  few  disconnected  words: 

^Wes — ^forgive — you — Cora.” 

She  bathed  his  hand  with  her  tears.  All  on  her  part 
also  was  forgotten  now — all  the  harshness  and  despot- 
ism of  years  were  forgotten  now,  and  nothing  was  re- 
membered but  the  gray-haired  man,  always  gray-haired 
in  her  knowledge  of  him,  who  had  protected  her  orphan- 
age and  given  her  a home  and  an  education.  She  knelt 


^40 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


there,  holding  his  hand,  and  was  presently  touched  and 
comforted  besause  the  fingers  of  that  hand  closed  on 
hers  with  a loving  pressure  that  they  had  never  given 
her  in  all  her  life  before.  That  was  the  last  sign  of  con- 
sciousness he  gave  for  many  hours. 

Mr.  Fabian  took  the  doctor  aside. 

“Ought  I to  send  for  my  wife  V’  he  inquired. 

“Yes;  I think  so,”  replied  the  physician. 

And  the  son  knew  that  answer  was  his  father’s  sen- 
tence of  death.  Not  one  of  the  family  could  be  spared 
from  this  death  bed  to  go  and  fetch  Violet.  So  Mr.  Fa- 
bian went  downstairs  to  the  library  and  wrote  a hasty 
note. 

Dear  Vioeet  ; You  offered  to  come  and  help  to  nurse 
the  father,  who  is  sicker  than  we  thought,  but  with  no 
contagious  fever.  Come  now,  dear,  and  bring  baby  and 
nurse,  for  you  may  have  to  stay  several  days. 

Fabiait. 

He  inclosed  this  letter  in  an  envelope,  sealed  and  di- 
rected it,  and  took  it  down  to  the  stable,  where  he  found 
his  own  groom,  Charles,  in  the  coachman’s  room. 

“Put  the  horses  to  the  carriage  again,  and  return  to 
Violet  Banks  to  bring  your  mistress  here.  Give  her 
this  note.  It  will  explain  all,”  said  Mr.  F abian,  handing 
the  note  to  the  servant. 

He  found  the  same  group  around  the  death  bed.  Clar- 
lence  and  the  doctor  standing  on  the  left  side,  Cora 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


241 


kneeling  by  the  right  side,  still  holding  the  hand  of  the 
dying  man,  whose  fingers  were  closed  upon  hers  and 
whose  face  was  turned  toward  hers,  but  with  ^^no  specu- 
lation^’ in  it.  Two  hours  passed  away  without  any 
change.  The  sound  of  wheels  without  could  be  heard 
through  the  profound  stillness  of  the  death  chamber. 
Mr.  Eabian  again  left  the  room  to  receive  his  wife. 

He  met  Violet  in  the  hall,  just  as  old  John  had  ad- 
mitted her.  She  was  closely  followed  by  the  nurse  and 
the  child. 

^^How  is  father?”  she  inquired. 

•^He  is  very  ill,  my  dear,  but  resting  quietly  just  at 
present.  Here  is  Martha;  she  will  take  you  to  your 
room  and  make  you  and  the  baby  comfortable.  Then, 
as  soon  as  you  can,  come  to  the  father’s  chamber ; you 
know  where  to  find  it,”  said  Mr.  Fabian,  who  feared  to 
shock  his  sensitive  wife  by  telling  her  that  he  was  sink- 
ing fast,  and  thought  that  it  would  be  safer  to  let  her 
come  into  the  room  and  join  the  group  around  the  bed, 
and  gradually  learn  the  sad  truth  by  her  own  observa- 
tion. 

^^Yes ; I can  find  my  way  very  well,”  answered  Violet, 
as  she  handed  her  bag,  shawl,  and  umbrella  to  Martha 
and  followed  the  housekeeper  upstairs,  with  the  nurse 
and  baby. 

Mr.  Fabian  returned  to  the  chamber  of  the  dying 
man,  around  whose  bed  the  group  remained  as  he  had 
left  it,  and  where  in  a very  few  minutes  he  was  joined 
by  Violet.  She  entered  the  room  very  softly,  so  that  her 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


S42 

approach  was  not  heard  until  she  reached  the  bedside* 
Then  she  took  and  silently  pressed  the  hands  that  were 
silently  held  out  by  Cora,  and  finally  she  knelt  down 
beside  her. 

More  hours  passed ; no  one  left  the  sick  room,  for  no 
one  knew  how  soon  the  end  might  come.  Old  John 
thoughtfully  brought  in  a waiter  of  refreshments  and 
set  it  down  on  a side  table  for  any  one  who  might  re- 
quire it. 

Day  declined.  Through  the  front  windows  of  the 
death  room  the  western  sky  could  be  seen,  dark,  lower- 
ing, and  stormy.  A long  range  of  heavy  clouds  lay 
massed  above  the  horizon,  obscuring  the  light  of  the 
sinking  sun,  but  leaving  a narrow  line  of  clear  sky  just 
along  the  top  of  the  western  ridge. 

Presently  a singularly  beautiful  effect  was  produced. 
The  sun,  sinking  below  the  dark  cloud  into  the  clear 
gold  line  of  sky,  sent  forth  a blaze  of  light  from  the 
mountain  heights,  across  the  river,  and  into  the  cham- 
ber of  death ! Was  it  this  sudden  illumination  that  kin- 
dled the  fire  of  life  in  the  dying  man  into  a last  expi- 
ring flame,  or  w^as  it  indeed  the  presence  of  a spiritual 
visitant,  visible  only  to  the  vanishing  spirit  ? Who  can 
tell? 

Suddenly  old  Aaron  Eockharrt  opened  his  eyes — 
those  great,  strong  black  eyes  that  had  ever  been  a ter- 
ror to  the  evil  doer — and  the  well  doer  also — and  stared 
before  him,  held  up  his  hands  and  exclaimed: 

^^Deborah ! Deborah 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


24J3 


And  then  he  dropped  his  arms  by  his  side,  and  with  a 
long,  deep-drawn  sigh  fell  asleep.  The  name  of  his  old 
wife  was  the  last  word  upon  his  dying  lips. 

No  one  but  the  doctor  knew  what  had  happened.  He 
bent  over  the  lifeless  shell,  gazed  on  the  face,  felt  the 
pulse,  felt  the  heart,  and  then  stood  up  and  said : 

^^All  is  over,  my  dear  friends.  His  passage  has  been 
quite  painless.  I never  saw  an  easier  death.” 

And  he  drew  up  the  sheet  over  the  face  of  the  dead. 

Although  all  day  they  had  hourly  expected  this  end, 
yet  now  they  could  not  quite  believe  that  it  had  indeed 
come. 

The  huge,  strong  man,  the  rugged  Iron  King — dead  ? 
He  who,  if  not  as  indestructible  as  he  seemed,  was  at 
least  constituted  of  that  stern  stuff  of  which  centenari- 
ans are  made,  and  whom  all  expected  should  live  far  up 
into  the  eighties  or  nineties — dead  ? The  father  who 
had  lived  over  them  like  some  mighty  governing  and 
protecting  power  all  their  lives,  necessary,  inevitable, 
inseparable  from  their  lives — dead  ? 

^Uome,  my  dear,”  said  Mr.  Clarence,  gently  raising 
Corona  and  leading  her  away.  ^^Tou  have  this  to  con- 
sole you : he  died  reconciled  to  you,  holding  your  hand 
in  his  to  the  last.” 

^^Ah,  dear  Uncle  Clarence,  you  have  much  more  to 
console  you,  for  you  never  failed  even  once  in  your  duty 
to  him,  and  never  gave  him  one  moment  of  uneasiness 
in  all  your  life,”  replied  Corona,  as  she  left  him  in  front 
of  her  old  room. 


2M  AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

She  entered  and  shut  the  door  and  gave  way  to  the 
natural  grief  that  overwhelmed  her  for  a time. 

When  she  was  sufficiently  composed  she  sat  down  and 
wrote  to  her  brother,  informing  him  of  what  had  oc- 
curred, and  telling  him  that  she  still  held  her  purpose 
of  going  out  to  him  with  the  Nevilles. 


CHAPTEE  XVI 


^^SIC  TKAlSrSIT  GLORIA  MUNDl’^ 

Ip  old  Aaron  Eockharrt^  the  Iron  King,  had  never 
been  generally  loved,  he  was  certainly  very  highly  re- 
spected by  the  whole  community.  The  news  of  his  sud- 
den death  fell  like  a shock  upon  the  public.  Prepara- 
tions  for  the  obsequies  were  on  the  grandest  scale. 

They  occupied  two  days.  On  the  first  day  there  were 
funeral  services  at  Eockhold,  performed  by  the  Eev. 
Luke  Melville,  pastor  of  the  North  End  Mission  Churchy 
and  attended  by  all  the  neighboring  families,  as  well  as 
by  all  the  operatives  of  the  works.  After  these  were 
over,  the  whole  assembly,  many  in  carriages  and  many 
more  on  foot,  followed  the  hearse  that  carried  the  re- 
mains to  the  North  End  railway  depot,  where  the  coffin 
was  placed  in  a special  car  prepared  for  its  reception, 
and,  attended  by  the  whole  family,  it  was  conveyed  to 
the  State  capital  and  deposited  in  the  long  drawing 
room  of  the  Eockharrt  mansion,  where  it  remained  until 
the  next  day.  On  the  second  day  funeral  services  were 
held  at  the  town  house  by  the  bishop  of  the  diocese,  as- 
sisted by  the  rector  of  the  Church  of  the  Lord’s  Peace, 
and  attended  by  a host  of  the  city  friends  of  the  family.. 

245 


246 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


After  these  services  the  long  funeral  procession  moved 
from  the  house  to  the  cemetery  of  the  Lord’s  Peace, 
where  the  body  was  laid  in  the  Eockharrt  vault  beside 
that  of  his  old  wife. 

On  the  return  of  the  family  to  the  house  they  assem- 
bled in  the  library  to  hear  the  reading  of  the  will  of 
Aaron  Eockharrt,  which  had  been  brought  in  by  his  so- 
licitor, Mr.  Benjamin  Norris. 

There  were  present,  seated  around  the  table,  Fabian, 
Violet,  and  Clarence  Eoekharrt,  Cora  Eothsay,  the 
doctor  and  the  lawyer.  Standing  behind  these  were 
gathered  the  servants  of  the  family. 

Mr.  Norris  blew  his  nose,  cleared  his  throat,  put  on 
his  spectacles,  opened  the  will  and  proceeded  to  read  it. 

The  testament  may  be  briefly  summed  up  as  follows : 

First  there  were  handsome  legacies  left  to  each  of  the 
old  servants.  One  full  half  of  the  testator’s  vast  estate 
was  left  to  his  elder  son,  Fabian;  one  quarter  to  his 
younger  son,  Clarence;  and  one  quarter  to  be  divided 
equally  between  his  grandson.  Sylvan  Haught,  and  his 
granddaughter.  Corona  Eothsay. 

F abian  was  appointed  sole  executor. 

The  lawyer  folded  up  the  document  and  handed  it  to 
Fabian  EockJjarrt. 

^Ularence,  boy,  I hardly  think  this  is  altogether 
fair  to  you,”  said  Fabian,  good-naturedly,  and  ready  to 
deceive  him  into  the  delusion  that  he  had  not  schemed 
for  this  unequal  division  of  the  enormous  wealth. 

^Tt  is  all  right,  Fabian.  Altogether  right.  You  are 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


24T 

the  eldest  son,  and  now  the  head  of  the  firm,  and  you 
have  ten  times  over  the  business  brains  that  I have.  I 
am  perfectly  satisfied,  and  even  if  I were  not,  I would 
not  dream  of  criticising  my  father’s  will,”  replied  Clar- 
ence with  perfect  good  humor  and  sincerity. 

The  legacies  were  promptly  paid  by  Fabian  Rock- 
harrt.  Mr.  Clarence  decided  to  remain  as  his  brother’s 
junior  partner  in  the  firm  that  was  henceforth  to  be 
known  as  ^^Aaron  Eockharrt’s  Sons,”  and  to  leave  all 
his  share  of  the  money  invested  in  the  works. 

When  Corona  was  asked  when  and  how  she  would  re- 
ceive her  own,  she  also  declared  that  she  would  leave  it 
for  the  present  where  it  was,  invested  in  the  works,  and 
the  firm  might  pay  her  legal  interest  for  its  use,  or  make 
her  a small  silent  partner  in  the  business.  Sylvan  had 
yet  to  be  consulted  in  regard  to  the  disposal  of  his  cap- 
ital. 

The  month  of  October  was  in  its  third  week.  It  was 
high  time  for  Corona  to  go  to  Washington  and  make 
the  acquaintance  of  the  Nevilles,  if  she  wished  to  go  to 
travel  west  under  their  protection.  She  had  several 
times  spoken  of  this  purpose  in  the  presence  of  Violet, 
so  as  to  accustom  that  emotional  young  woman  to  the 
idea  of  their  separation.  But  Violet,  absorbed  in  her 
grief  for  the  dead,  paid  but  little  attention  to  Corona’s 
casual  remarks. 

At  the  end  of  a few  days  Fabian  Eockharrt  began  to 
talk  about  going  back  to  Violet  Banks,  and  invited 


248 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

Corona  to  accompany  his  wife  and  himself  to  their 
pleasant  country  home. 

It  was  then  that  Corona  spoke  decisively.  She 
thanked  him  for  his  invitation  and  reminded  him  of  her 
unalterable  resolution  to  go  out  to  Fort  Farthermost 
to  join  her  brother. 

When  Fabian  Eockharrt  tried  to  combat  her  deter- 
mination, she  informed  him  that  she  had  during  the  fu- 
neral week  received  a joint  letter  from  Captain  and  Mrs. 
ITeville,  inviting  her  to  join  their  party  to  the  frontier. 
This  letter  had  been  written  at  the  suggestion  of  the 
colonel  of  Captain  Neville’s  regiment,  and  had  not  been 
mentioned  or  even  answered  until  after  the  funeral 
She  said  that  she  had  accepted  this  kind  invitation,  and 
had  forwarded  all  her  baggage,  which  had  been  so  long 
stored  at  North  End,  to  Washington  to  wait  her  arrival 
in  that  city. 

^Wery  well,  then,”  said  Fabian.  ^Tf  you  are  set  upon 
this  expedition,  I cannot  hinder  you,  and  shall  not  try 
to  do  so.  But  I tell  you  what  I will  do.  I will  take 
Violet  to  Washington  with  you,  and  get  rooms  at  some 
pleasant  house  before  the  rush  of  winter  visitors.  We 
shall  not  be  able  to  go  into  general  society,  but  there  is 
a great  plenty  of  sight-seeing  in  the  national  capital  with 
which  to  divert  the  mind  of  my  poor  little  girl.  Her 
old  guardians,  the  Pendletimes,  are  there  also,  and  it 
will  comfort  her  to  see  them.  With  them  she  will  be 
able  to  let  you  depart  without  breaking  her  poor  little 
heart.” 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


249 


Uncle  Fabian,  I am  so  glad  yon  have  thought  of 
this!  It  will  be  so  good  for  Violet.  She  has  had  a sad 
time  since  her  home-coming.  She  needs  a change/’ 
said  Corona,  eagerly. 

think  she  will  be  very  much  pleased  with  the  plan. 
Now,  Cora,  when  do  you  wish  to  go 

^^As  soon  as  possible;  but  since  you  are  so  kind  as 
to  accompany  me,  my  wish  must  wait  ou  yours,  Uncle 
Fabian.” 

^Tet  us  go  and  consult  Violet,”  said  Fabian  Eock- 
harrt,  rising  and  leading  the  way  to  the  nursery,  which 
had  been  hastily  fitted  up  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
Eockharrt  baby  and  her  nurse,  and  where  he  felt  sure  of 
finding  the  young  mother,  too. 

Violet,  when  told  of  the  scheme  to  go  immediately  to 
Washington  and  see  her  old  friends,  was  more  than 
^^pleased” ; she  was  delighted.  To  show  her  baby  to  her 
more  than  mother,  as  she  often  called  Mrs.  Pendletime, 
would  fill  her  soul  with  pride  and  joy. 

Very  early  the  next  morning  Mr.  Fabian  and  his 
party  left  the  city  by  the  express  train  en  route  for  the 
national  capital,  leaving  Mr.  Clarence  to  go  to  North 
End  and  take  charge  of  the  works.  They  reached  Bal- 
timore at  11  p.  M.  and  remained  over  night.  The  next 
day  they  went  on  to  Washington,  where  they  arrived 
about  noon,  and  went  directly  to  the  hotel  where  Cap- 
tain and  Mrs.  Neville  were  staying. 

Violet,  very  much  fatigued,  lay  down  to  rest  and  to 
get  her  baby  to  sleep  at  her  bosom.  Mr.  Fabian,  as  we 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


§60 

must  continue  from  habit  to  call  him,  though  his  right- 
ful style  was  now  Mr.  Rockharrt,  went  down  to  the  read- 
ing room  to  send  his  own  and  his  wife’s  cards  to  Chief 
Justice  and  Mrs.  Pendletime,  and  to  collect  Washing- 
ton gossip. 

Corona  changed  her  traveling  dress,  went  down  into 
the  ladies’  parlor,  and  sent  her  card  to  the  rooms  of  the 
Nevilles.  And  presently  there  entered  to  her  a very 
handsome  middle-aged  pair. 

The  captain  was  a fine',  tall,  broad-shouldered,  soldier- 
ly-looking man,  with  a bald  head  and  a gray  mustache. 
He  was  clothed  in  a citizen’s  morning  suit.  The  cap- 
tain’s wife  was  also  rather  tall,  slender,  dark  complex- 
ioned,  with  a thin  face,  black  eyes,  and  black  hair  very 
slightly  touched  with  gray,  which  she  wore  in  ringlets 
over  her  ears,  and  in  a braid  behind  her  neck.  Her 
dress  was  a plain,  dark  cashmere,  with  white  cuffs  and 
collar. 

“It  is  very  kind  of  you  to  take  charge  of  me,”  said 
Corona  to  Mrs.  Neville,  as  the  three  seated  themselves 
on  a group  of  chairs  near  together. 

“My  dear,  I am  very  glad  to  have  your  company,  as 
well  on  the  long  and  dreary  journey  over  the  plains  as 
at  that  distant  frontier  fort.  You  will  find  life  at  the 
fort  with  your  brother  a severe  test  to  your  affection  for 
him,”  said  Mrs.  Neville,  with  her  rather  doubtful  smile. 

“You  have  some  experience  of  life  at  Fort  Farther- 
most ?”  remarked  Corona  pleasantly. 

“No ; not  at  that  particular  fott.  We  have  never  been 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  251 

quite  so  far  as  that  yet.  It  is  a new  fort — an  outpost 
really  on  the  extreme  southwestern  frontier,  as  I under- 
stand, We  shall  have  to  cross  what  used  to  be  called 
the  Great  American  Desert  to  reach  it.  We  go  first  to 
Leavenworth,  and,  of  course,  the  journey  to  Leaven- 
worth is  easy  enough.  But  from  Leavenworth  the  long, 
tedious  traveling  by  army  wagons  over  the  plains  and 
through  the  wilderness  to  the  southwestern  forts  will 
try  your  endurance,  my  dear.’^ 

^^Come,  come,’’  said  the  captain,  heartily.  ^Tt  is  not 
all  unmitigated  dreadfulness.  To  be  sure  we  have  no 
railroads  through  the  wilderness,  no  fine  city  hotels  to 
stay  at;  but,  then,  there  are  some  few  forts  along  the 
line  of  travel,  where  we  can  stop  a day  or  two  to  rest, 
and  have  good  sport.  And  when  we  have  no  fort  at  the 
end  of  a day’s  journey,  it  is  not  very  awful  to  bivouac 
under  the  shelter  of  some  friendly  rock  or  in  the  thicket 
of  some  forest.  The  wagons  by  day  make  good  couches 
by  night;  and  as  for  the  bill  of  fare,  a haunch  of  veni- 
son from  a deer  shot  by  some  soldier  on  the  road,  and 
cooked  on  a fire  in  the  open  air,  has  a very  particularly 
fine  flavor.  All  civilized  condiments  we  carry  with  us. 
As  for  amusements,  though  we  have  no  theaters  or  con- 
certs, yet  there  is  always  sure  to  be  some  fellow  along 
who  can  sing  a good  song,  and  some  other  fellow  who 
can  tell  a good  story.  I rather  think  you  will  enjoy  the 
trip  as  a novelty,  Mrs.  Eothsay.  I observe  that  most 
young  people  do.” 

really  think  I shall  enjoy  it,”  assented  Corona. 


S52 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


hope  that  you  will  be  able  to  endure  it,  my  dear/’ 
added  Mrs.  Neville. 

^^You  see  the  journey  is  no  novelty  to  my  wife,  Mrs. 
Rothsay.  She  has  spent  all  her  married  life  on  the  fron- 
tier. Thirty  years  ago,  my  dear  lady,  I received  my 
first  commission  as  second  lieutenant  in  the  Third  In- 
fantry, and  was  ordered  to  Okononak,  Oregon.  I mar- 
ried my  sweetheart  here,  and  took  her  with  me,  and  she 
has  been  with  me  ever  since;  for  we  both  agreed  that 
anything  was  better  than  separation.  We  have  raised 
children,  and  they  have  married  and  left  us,  and  we  have 
never  been  parted  for  a week.  We  have  lived  on  the 
frontier,  and  know  every  fort  from  the  confines  of  Can- 
ada to  those  of  Mexico.  We  have  lived  among  soldiers, 
savages,  pioneers,  scouts,  border  ruffians,  wild  beasts, 
and  venomous  reptiles  all  the  days  of  our  married  life. 
What  do  you  think  of  us 

think  it  is  unjust  that  some  milt  ary  officers  have 
to  vegetate  all  their  days  in  those  wilds  of  the  West, 
while  others  live  for  all  that  life  is  worth  in  the  Eastern 
centers  of  civilization.” 

^^Bless  you,  my  dear,  we  don’t  vegetate.  If  nothing 
else  should  rouse  our  souls  the  Indians  would,  and 
make  it  lively  for  us,  too ! It  is  not  an  unpleasant  life, 
upon  the  whole,  Mrs.  Eothsay;  but  you  see  we  are 
growing  old,  and  my  v/ife  is  tired  of  it,  that  is  all.” 

’^^How  soon  shall  we  leave  for  the  West?”  inquired 
Corona. 

^^How  soon  can  you  be  ready,  my  dear  young  lady  ?” 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


253 


am  quite  ready  now.’^ 

^Then  on  Monday^  I think.  What  do  you  say,  Mrs. 
Neville  inquired  the  captain. 

^^Monday  will  do/’  replied  the  wife. 

^^Now  here  are  some  people  coming  in  to  interrupt 
us/’  said  the  captain  in  a vexed  tone. 

Corona  looked  up  and  said: 

‘^‘They  are  Chief  Justice  and  Mrs.  Pendletime,  come 
to  call  on  their  late  ward,  Mrs.  Fabian  Rockharrt.  You 
know  them?” 

^^Not  a bit  of  it.  So  if  you  please,  my  dear,  we  will 
retire  at  once  and  leave  you  to  receive  them,  especially 
as  we  are  both  engaged  to  dine  at  the  arsenal  this 
afternoon,”  said  the  captain ; and  he  arose,  and  with  his 
wife  withdrew  from  the  parlor. 

Cora  went  forward  to  receive  the  new  visitors.  They 
both  greeted  her  very  warmly,  and  then  expressed  the 
deepest  sympathy  with  her  in  her  sorrow  at  the  loss  of 
her  grandfather,  and  made  many  inquiries  for  the  par- 
ticulars of  his  illness. 

When  Corona  had  answered  all  their  questions,  and 
they  had  again  expressed  their  sympathy,  she  inquired : 

^^Have  you  sent  for  Violet  ? Does  she  know  you  are 
here  ? If  not,  I will  go  and  call  her.” 

^Dh,  yes;  the  servant  took  up  our  card.  And  here 
she  comes!  And  the  baby  in  her  arms,  by  all  that  is 
beautiful !”  said  Mrs.  Pendletime,  as  she  arose  to  meet 
her  favorite,  and  took  the  infant  from  the  fond  mother 
and  covered  both  with  caresses. 


254^ 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


think  of  my  child  coming  to  a hotel  instead  of 
directly  to  my  house!’’  said  the  elder  lady,  reproach- 
fully. 

^^But  I wished  to  stay  a day  or  two  with  Corona  be- 
fore she  leaves  for  the  West.  And  after  I meant  to  go 
to  you  and  stay  as  long  as  you  would  let  me,”  Violet 
replied. 

^^Mrs.  Eothsay  going  West !”  exclaimed  the  old  lady. 

^^Yes ; she  is,”  said  Violet,  emphatically  and  impa- 
tiently. And  then  there  ensued  more  explanations,  and 
exclamations,  and  remonstrances. 

And  finally  Mrs.  Pendletime  inquired : 

^‘And  when  do  you  leave  on  this  fearful  expedition, 
my  dear?” 

^^On  Monday  next  I go,  with  Captain  and  Mrs.  Ne- 
ville,” replied  Corona. 

^ Well,  I am  truly  sorry  for  it ; but,  of  course,  I can- 
not help  it.  On  Monday,  therefore,  after  your  friend 
has  taken  leave  of  you,  you  will  remove  to  my  house, 
Violet  ?” 

^Uh,  yes;  the  thought  of  going  to  you  is  the  only 
comfort  I have  in  parting  from  Corona,”  replied  Mrs. 
Eabian  Eockharrt. 


CHAPTEE  XVII 


COKONA^S  DEPARTURE 

On  the  Sunday  following  her  arrival  in  Washington, 
the  last  day  of  her  sojourn  in  the  capital,  the  day  before 
her  departure  for  the  frontier,  Corona  Eothsay  rose 
early  in  the  morning,  and  soon  as  she  was  dressed  went 
down  to  the  ladies^  parlor.  Neither  her  uncle  nor  his 
young  wife  had  yet  left  their  rooms.  In  fact,  so  early 
was  it  that  none  of  the  ladies  staying  in  the  house  had 
yet  come  down  to  the  parlor.  The  place  was  vacant. 

Corona  went  up  the  long  room  and  sat  down  by  one 
of  the  front  windows,  to  look  down  on  the  passing  life 
of  the  avenue  below. 

While  she  sat  looking  out  of  the  window  she  heard  a 
movement  at  the  lower  end  of  the  room.  Some  one  en- 
tered and  sat  down  to  wait.  And  some  one  else  went 
out  again.  Corona  never  turned  round  to  see  who  was 
there.  She  continued  to  look  through  the  window.  She 
Tfas  not  interested  in  the  comers  and  goers  into  and  out 
of  the  hotel. 

Presently  some  one  came  in  again  and  said: 

^^Mrs.  Eothsay  is  not  in  her  room,  sir.^’ 

^^Then  I will  wait  here  until  she  can  be  found,’^  re- 
plied the  newcomer  in  a familiar  voice. 

255 


266 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


But  then  Corona  started  up  and  rushed  down  the 
length  of  the  room,  crying  eagerly : 

“Uncle  Clarence!  Oh,  Uncle  Clarence!  Is  this 
you  ? Is  this  indeed  you  ? I am  so  glad  to  see  you  once 
more  before  I go!  I had  thought  never  to  see  you 
again!  Or,  at  least,  not  for  many  years!  And  here 
you  are!” 

He  caught  the  hands  she  held  out  as  she  reached  him, 
drew  her  to  his  bosom  and  kissed  her  as  he  answered : 

“Yes,  my  dear,  it  is  I,  your  old  bachelor  uncle,  who 
was  not  satisfied  with  the  leave-taking  on  last  Thurs- 
day, but  longed  to  see  you  again  before  your  departure.” 

“You  dear  Uncle  Clarence !” 

“So  yesterday  afternoon  I telegraphed  to  Eabian  to 
ask  him  when  you  were  to  start  for  the  West.  He  tele- 
graphed back  that  you  expected  to  leave  Washington 
on  Monday  morning.  I got  this  answer  about  five 
o’clock  in  the  afternoon.  And,  as  it  was  Saturday  night 
and  I had  a clear  day,  the  blessed  Sabbath,  before  me,  I 
only  waited  to  close  the  works  at  six  o’clock,  as  usual, 
and  then  I hurried  away,  packet  a carpet  bag  and  caught, 
by  half  a minute,  the  six-thirty  express  for  Baltimore 
and  Washington,  and  came  straight  through ! It  was  a 
twelve  hours’  journey,  my  dear,  without  stopping  except 
to  change  cars,  which  connected  promptly,  and  so  you 
see  I have  lost  no  time ! I have  just  arrived,  and  did 
not  have  to  wait  five  minutes  even  to  see  you,  for  you 
were  here  to  receive  me ! And  now  that  I am  here, 
my  dear,  I shall  stay  to  see  you  off  with  the  Nevilles. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  257 

You  go  to-morrow,  as  I understand?  There  has  been 
no  change  in  the  programme  V’ 

go  to-morrow,  Uncle  Clarence/^  replied  Corona, 
in  a grave,  sorrowful  tone,  for  she  was  sympathizing 
with  him. 

^^By  what  train,  my  child  ?’^ 

^‘The  eight-thirty  express,  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail- 
road.’^ 

^^Then  I need  not  part  with  you  here  in  Washington. 
Our  routes  are  the  same  for  some  hundred  miles.  I 
shall  travel  with  you  as  far  as  the  North  End  Junction, 
and  take  leave  of  you  there.  That  will  be  seeing  the 
very  last  of  you,  up  to  the  very  last  minute.” 

Just  at  that  moment  Mr.  Fabian  entered  the  parlor, 
and  recognizing  his  younger  brother  and  junior  partner, 
approached  him  with  a shout: 

^^Clarence!  by  all  that’s  magical!  Pray,  did  you 
rise  from  the  earth,  or  fall  from  the  skies,  that  I find  you 
here  ?” 

^^How  do  you  do,  Fabian  ? I came  in  the  most  com- 
monplace way  you  can  imagine — ^by  the  night  express 
train — and  have  only  just  now  arrived,”  replied  Mr. 
Clarence. 

^^And  how  goes  on  the  works?”  inquired  Fabian 
Eockharrt. 

^^Admirably.” 

^^Glad  to  hear  it.  And  what  brought  you  here,  if  it  is 
a civil  question  ?” 

^Tt  isn’t  a civil  question,  but  I’ll  answer  it  all  the 


258 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


same.  I came  to  see  Cora  once  more,  to  spend  the  last 
Sabbath  with  her  and  to  accompany  her  as  far  on  the 
journey  to-morrow  as  our  way  runs  together,  which  will 
be  as  far  as  the  North  End  Junction.” 

“And  you  will  not  reach  North  End  before  Monday 
night ! A whole  day  lost  at  the  works,  Clarence ! Ah ! 
it  is  well  you  have  me  to  deal  with  instead  of  the  father 
— Heaven  rest  his  soul!” 

“See  here,  Fabian,”  said  Mr.  Clarence,  “for  a very 
little  more  I will  go  with  Cora  all  the  way  to  Fort  Far- 
thermost, as  her  natural  protector  and  helper  in  her 
missionary  work.  What,  indeed,  have  I to  keep  me  here 
in  the  East  since  the  father  left  us  ? Nothing  whatever. 
You  have  your  wife  and  child ; I have  no  one.  Cora  is 
nearer  to  me  than  any  other  being.” 

“Come ! Come  down  to  breakfast.  You  have  been 
traveling  all  night  without  food,  I feel  sure;  and  fast- 
ing and  vigils  never  were  means  of  grace  to  a Eock- 
harrt.  Come!”  said  Mr.  Fabian,  with  a laugh. 

“I  must  get  a room  and  go  to  it  first.  Look  at  me !” 
said  Clarence. 

“You  do  look  like  the  ash  man  or  blacksmith,  cer- 
tainly. Well,  come  along;  we’ll  go  to  the  office  and 
get  a room,  and  then  you  can  get  some  of  that  dust  off 
you.  It  won’t  take  ten  minutes.  After  that  we  will  go 
to  breakfast.” 

The  brothers  left  the  parlor  together. 

The  next  moment  Violet  entered  it,  and  bade  good- 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  259 

morning  to  Corona,  who  in  turn  told  her  of  the  new  ar- 
rival. 

“Clarence!  Oh,  I am  so  glad!  What  an  addition 
he  will  he  to  our  party,  Cora,  especially  after  you  have 
left  us,  my  dear,  when  we  shall  miss  you  so  sadly,”  said 
Violet. 

Cora  made  no  reply.  She  disliked  to  tell  Violet  that 
she,  Violet,  would  lose  the  society  of  Clarence  at  the 
same  time  that  she  would  lose  that  of  herself,  as  her 
uncle  was  to  leave  Washington  by  the  same  train. 

While  they  were  still  talking  the  two  brothers  re- 
entered the  parlor. 

When  Eabian  demanded  whether  they  were  ready  to 
go  down  to  breakfast,  and  received  a satisfactory  answer, 
he  drew  the  arm  of  his  wife  within  his  own,  and  led  the 
way  downstairs.  Clarence  and  Corona  followed.  When 
they  entered  the  breakfast  saloon,  the  polite  waiter  came 
forward  and  ushered  them  to  a table  at  which  Captain 
and  Mrs.  Neville  were  already  seated.  Morning  greet- 
ings were  exchanged,  and  Mr.  Clarence  was  introduced 
and  welcomed. 

After  breakfast  all  the  party  went  to  church. 

Then  Clarence  and  Corona  spent  the  afternoon  to- 
gether at  one  end  of  the  long  parlor,  which  was  so  long 
and  had  so  many  recesses  that  half  a dozen  separate 
groups  might  have  isolated  themselves  there,  each  with- 
out fear  of  their  conversation  being  overheard  by  the 
others. 

All  the  members  of  our  party  sat  up  late  that  evening 


260 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


to  eke  out  the  time  they  might  spend  together  before 
parting.  It  was  after  midnight  when  they  retired. 

The  travelers  met  at  an  early  breakfast  the  next  morn- 
ing. Their  baggage  had  been  sent  on  and  checked  in 
advance.  They  had  nothing  to  do  but  make  the  most 
of  the  few  remaining  minutes. 

When  the  meal  was  over  they  all  hastily  left  the  table 
and  went  to  their  rooms  to  put  on  their  traveling  wraps. 

Fabian  and  Violet  were  to  accompany  the  travelers  to 
the  railway  depot  to  see  them  off,  so  that  there  was  to 
be  no  leave-taking  at  the  hotel  except  of  the  baby. 

Corona  went  into  the  nurse’s  room,  took  the  mite  in 
her  arms,  held  it  to  her  bosom,  caressed  and  kissed  it 
tenderly,  but  dropped  no  tear  on  its  sweet,  fair  face  or 
soft  white  robe. 

The  baby  received  all  this  love  with  delight,  leaping 
and  dancing  in  Corona’s  arms,  then  gazing  at  her  with 
intense  eyes,  and  crowing  and  prattling  in  inarticulate 
and  unintelligible  language,  of  some  happy,  incommu- 
nicable news,  some  joyful  message  it  would  deliver  if 
it  could. 

“Come,  Cora.  We  are  waiting  for  you,  my  dear,” 
sounded  the  voice  of  Mr.  F abian  in  the  hall  outside. 

Corona  kissed  the  baby  for  the  last  time,  blessed  it 
for  the  vague  sweet  hope  it  had  infused  into  her  heart, 
and  then  laid  it  in  its  nurse’s  arms  and  left  the  room. 

“We  shall  barely  catch  the  train,  if  we  catch  it  at  all. 
And  the  captain  is  as  nearly  in  a ‘stew’  as  an  oflScer 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  261 

and  a gentleman  permits  himself  to  get.  We  have  been 
looking  for  you  everywhere/’  said  Mr.  Fabian. 

was  in  the  nurse’s  room,  bidding  good-by  to  the 
baby/’  replied  Cora. 

No  more  was  said.  Baby  was  excuse  for  any  amount 
of  delay,  even  though  it  had  caused  the  missing  of  their 
train  and  the  driving  of  the  captain  into  a war  dance. 

They  hurried  downstairs  and  entered  the  carriages 
that  were  waiting  to  take  them  to  the  depot — Fabian, 
Violet,  Clarence  and  Corona  in  one;  Captain  and  Mrs. 
Neville,  and  Mrs.  Neville’s  maid,  in  the  other.  And  so 
they  drove  to  the  depot,  and  arrived  just  in  time  to  take 
their  tickets  and  rush  to  their  seats  on  the  train,  with 
no  further  leave-taking  than  a kiss  all  around,  and  a 
general,  heartfelt  ^^God  bless  you!” 

The  train  was  speeding  away,  leaving  Washington 
City  behind,  when  our  party  first  began  to  realize  that 
they  were  really  ^^off”  and  to  take  in  their  surroundings. 

Captain  and  Mrs.  Neville  sat  together  about  midway 
in  the  car.  Clarence  and  Corona  sat  immediately  be- 
hind them.  On  the  opposite  side  sat  Mrs.  Neville’s 
colored  maid,  Manda,  and  in  the  rear  corner,  on  the 
same  side,  the  captain’s  orderly — a new  recruit.  About 
half  the  remaining  seats  in  the  car  were  occupied  by 
other  travelers. 

At  Harper’s  Ferry,  amid  the  most  beautiful  and  sub- 
lime mountain  scenery  of  Virginia,  the  train  stopped 


26a 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


twenty  minutes  for  dinner,  which,  in  those  ante-bellum 
days,  was  well  served  from  the  hotel  at  the  depot.  After 
dinner,  the  train  started  off  again  at  express  speed,  stop- 
ping but  at  few  stations,  until  near  night,  when  it 
reached  North  End  Junction,  where  Mr.  Clarence  was  to 
get  off. 

“Cora,  my  darling,  we  must  part  here,”  said  Mr.  Clar- 
ence, gathering  up  his  effects,  as  the  train  slackened 
speed. 

“Oh,  Uncle  Clarence!  Dear  Uncle  Clarence!  God 
bless  you ! God  bless  you !”  sobbed  C«rona. 

“Keep  up  your  heart,  dear  one.  You  may  see  me 
sooner  than  you  dream  of.  The  missionary  mania  is 
sometimes  contagious.  You  have  it  in  its  most  pro- 
nounced form.  And  T have  been  sitting  by  you  for  eight 
hours,”  repled  Mr.  Clarence,  forgetting  his  prudent 
resolution  to  say  nothing  to  Corona  of  an  incipient  plan 
in  his  mind. 

“What  do  you  mean,  dear  Uncle  Clarence  ?”  she  anx- 
iously inquired. 

“I  hardly  know  myself.  Corona.  But  ponder  my  words 
in  your  heart,  dear  one.  They  may  mean  something. 
Here  we  are ! Good-by ! Good-by ! God  bless  you !” 
exclaimed  Mr.  Clarence. 

“Good-by!  God  bless  you!”  cried  Corona,  and  they 
parted — Clarence  jumping  off  the  train  just  as  it  started 
again,  at  the  imminent  risk  of  his  life,  yet  with  lucky 
immunity  from  harm. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  263 

Corona,  looking  through  the  side  window,  saw  him 
standing  safely  on  the  platform  waiting  a North  End 
train  to  come  up — saw  him  only  for  an  instant  as  her 
train  flashed  onward,  and  ^^pondered  his  words  in  her 
heart,’^  and  wondered  what  they  meant. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 


ON  THE  FRONTIER 

Traveling  in  the  ante-bellum  days,  even  by  steam- 
boats and  railway  trains,  was  not  the  rapid  transit  of  the 
present  time.  It  took  one  day  for  our  travelers  to  reach 
Wheeling.  There  they  embarked  on  a river  steamer 
for  St.  Louis.  On  Monday  morning  they  took  a steam- 
boat for  Leavenworth,  where  they  arrived  early  in  the 
evening. 

This  was  the  first  and  best  part  of  their  long  journey. 
The  second  part  must  of  necessity  be  very  different. 
Here  their  railway  and  steamboat  travel  ceased,  and  the 
remainder  of  their  course  to  the  far  southwestern  fron- 
tier must  be  by  military  wagons  through  an  almost  un- 
trodden wilderness. 

I know  that  since  the  days  of  which  I write  this  sec- 
tion of  the  country  has  been  wonderfully  developed,  and 
the  wilderness  has  been  made  to  “bloom  and  blossom 
as  the  rose,”  but  in  those  days  it  was  still  laid  down  on 
the  maps  as  “The  Great  American  Desert.”  And  Port 
Leavenworth  appeared  to  us  as  an  extreme  outpost  of 
civilization  in  the  West,  and  a stopping  place  and  a 
point  of  new  departure  for  troops  en  route  for  the  south- 
western frontier  forts. 


264 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


265 


Captain  Neville  and  his  party  landed  at  Leavenworth 
on  the  afternoon  of  a fine  November  day.  The  captain 
led  the  way  to  the  coloneFs  quarters.  A sentinel  was 
walking  up  and  down  the  front.  He  saluted  the  captain, 
who  passed  into  the  quarters,  where  an  orderly  received 
the  party,  showed  them  into  a parlor,  gave  them  seats, 
and  then  took  the  captain’s  card  to  the  colonel. 

In  a few  moments  Col.  entered  the  parlor, 

looked  around,  recognized  Captain  Neville,  and  greeted 
him  with : 

^^Ah,  Neville!  delighted  to  see  you!  Mrs.  Neville, 
of  course!  I remember  you  well,  madam!  And  this 
young  lady  your  daughter,  I presume  he  added,  turn- 
ing from  the  elders  to  shake  hands  with  Corona. 

‘^No;  not  our  daughter.  I wish  she  were;  but  our 
young  friend,  Mrs.  Eothsay,  who  is  going  with  us  to 
Earthermost,”  Captain  Neville  explained. 

^^To  join  her  husband ! One  of  the  new  set  of  officers 
turned  out  by  the  Academy ! Happy  man !”  exclaimed 
the  colonel,  warmly  shaking  Corona’s  hand. 

^^No,  sir;  Mrs.  Eothsay  is  a widow.  She  goes  out  to 
join  her  only  brother.  Lieutenant  Haught!”  the  captain 
again  explained,  in  a low  and  faintly  reproachful  tone. 

^^Oh!  ah!  I beg  pardon,  I am  sure.  The  mistake 
was  absurd,”  said  the  colonel,  with  a penitent  air. 

^^When  did  you  leave  Washington?” 

^^A  week  ago  to-day ; but  the  boats  were  slow.” 

^Tleasant  journey,  I hope  ?” 

^^Oh,  yes;  so  far.” 


266  AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

At  this  moment  the  colonel’s  wife  came  into  the 
room.  She  was  a tall,  gray-haired  woman  with  a fair 
complexion  and  blue  eyes,  and  dressed  in  black  silk  and 
a lace  cap.  She  shook  hands  with  Captain  and  Mrs. 
Neville,  who  were  old  friends,  and  who  then  presented 
Mrs.  Eothsay,  whom  the  hostess  received  with  much 
cordiality. 

Meanwhile  the  colonel  and  the  captain  strolled  out 
upon  the  piazza  to  smoke  each  a cigar.  The  former  in- 
quired more  particularly  into  the  history  of  the  beauti- 
ful, pale  woman  who  had  come  out  under  the  protection 
of  the  captain  and  his  wife. 

Captain  Neville  told  him  all  he  knew  of  Mrs.  Roth- 
say’s  story — namely,  that  she  was  the  granddaughter  of 
the  famous  Iron  King,  Aaron  Eockharrt,  lately  de- 
ceased, and  that  she  was  the  widow  of  the  late  Regulas 
Eothsay,  who  so  mysteriously  disappeared  on  the  eve- 
ning of  his  wedding  before  the  day  of  his  expected  inau- 
guration as  governor  of  his  native  State,  and  who  was 
afterward  discovered  to  have  been  murdered  by  the  Co- 
manche Indians. 

In  the  evening,  when  a number  of  officers  dropped 
into  the  drawing  room  of  the  colonel’s  quarters,  our 
party  were  quite  able  to  receive  them. 

One  unexpected  thing  happened.  Among  the  callers 
was  a certain  Major , a childless  widower  of  mid- 

dle age,  short,  thick-set,  black-bearded  and  red-faced, 
with  a bluff  presence  and  a bluff  voice,  who  fell — yes. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  26T 

tumbled — beels  over  head  in  love  with  Corona  at  first 
sight. 

This  catastrophe  was  so  patent  to  all  beholders  as  to 
excite  equal  wonder  and  mirthfulness. 

Only  Corona  of  all  the  company  remained  igno- 
rant of  the  conquest  she  had  made;  ignorant,  that  is, 
until  the  visitors  had  all  left  the  quarters,  when  her 
hostess  said  to  her  in  a bantering  tone : 

^^You  have  subdued  our  major,  my  dear,  utterly  sub- 
dued him.  This  is  the  first  case  of  love  at  first  sight  that 
ever  came  under  my  notice,  but  it  is  an  unmistakable 
one.  And,  oh,  I should  say  a malignant,  if  not  a fatal, 
type  of  the  disorder.’’ 

So  closed  the  day  of  our  travelers’  arrival  at  Fort 
Leavenworth. 

It  was  Saturday  afternoon,  on  the  sixth  day  of  the 
visitors’  stay  at  the  fort,  and  the  ladies  were  on  the  pa- 
rade ground  watching  the  drill,  when  the  word  came 
that  the  steamer  was  coming  up  the  river  with  troops  on 
board. 

^Uur  raw  recruits  at  last,”  said  Captain  Neville,  who 
was  standing  with  the  ladies. 

‘^And  that  means,  I suppose,  that  we  are  to  start  for 
Farthermost  at  once,”  said  Mrs.  Neville. 

^^Not  on  the  instant,”  laughed  the  captain. 

^^This  is  Saturday  afternoon.  To-morrow  is  Sunday. 
We  shall  leave  on  Monday  morning.” 

^^Eain  or  shine  ?” 

^Tair  or  foul,  of  course,”  said  the  captain. 


268 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


It  was  really  the  steamer  with  the  new  recruits  on 
board.  Half  an  hour  later  they  landed  and  marched  into 
the  fort,  under  the  command  of  the  recruiting  sergeant, 
and  they  were  received  with  cheers. 

That  evening  Captain  Neville  announced  his  inten- 
tion to  set  out  for  Farthermost  on  Monday  morning. 
Of  course  this  was  expected.  And  equally,  of  course, 
not  one  word  was  said  to  induce  him  to  defer  his  depar- 
ture for  one  day.  Military  duty  must  take  precedence 
of  mere  politeness. 

The  next  day  being  the  Sabbath,  the  ladies  attended 
the  morning  service  in  the  chapel  of  the  fort.  The  irre- 
pressible Major was  present,  and  after  the  bene- 

diction, attached  himself  to  Captain  Neville’s  party, 
and  walked  home  with  them  to  the  colonel’s  quarters, 
but  not  next  to  Cora,  who  walked  with  Mrs.  Neville. 

As  the  major  paused  at  the  door,  Mrs. had  no, 

choice  but  to  invite  him  to  come  in  and  stay  to  dinner, 
adding  that  this  was  the  last  day  of  the  Nevilles’  and 
Mrs.  Rothsay’s  sojourn  at  the  fort. 

The  major  thanked  the  lady,  and  followed  her  into 
the  drawing  room,  where  he  sat  talking  to  the  colonel, 
while  the  ladies  went  to  their  rooms  to  lay  off  their  bon- 
nets and  cloaks.  They  came  down  only  when  called  by 
the  bell  to  the  early  Sunday  dinner. 

As  this  was  the  last  day  of  the  guests’  stay  at  Fort 
Leavenworth,  many  of  the  officers  dropped  in  to  say 
good-by ; so  that  the  party  sat  up  rather  later  than  usual, 
and  it  was  near  midnight  when  they  retired  to  rest. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


269 


Corona  did  not  go  to  bed  at  once.  She  sat  from  twelve 
to  one  writing  a letter  to  her  Uncle  Clarence,  not  know- 
ing how  the  next  was  to  be  mailed  to  him. 

The  next  morning  was  so  clear,  bright,  and  beautiful 
that  every  one  said  that  it  must  be  the  perfection  of  In- 
dian summer. 

On  the  road  outside  the  walls  five  strong  army  wag- 
ons, to  which  stout  mules  were  harnessed,  stood  in  a 
line.  These  were  to  serve  the  men  as  carriages  by  day 
and  couches  by  night.  Besides  these,  there  were  two 
carriage  of  better  make  and  more  comfortable  fittings 
for  the  captain  and  the  ladies  of  his  party. 

The  farewell  breakfast  at  the  colonel’s  quarters  par- 
took of  the  nature  of  an  oflScial  banquet.  It  was  un- 
necessarily prolonged. 

At  length  the  company  left  the  table. 

Mrs.  Neville  and  Mrs.  Eothsay  went  to  their  rooms 
to  put  on  hats  and  cloaks.  As  soon  as  they  were  ready 

they  came  down  to  bid  good-by  to  Mrs. and  some 

other  ladies  who  had  come  to  the  colonel’s  quarters  to 
see  them  off. 

When  these  adieus  were  all  said,  the  colonel  gave 
Mrs.  Eothsay  his  arm  to  lead  her  to  the  carriage,  which 
stood  in  line  with  the  army  wagons  on  the  road  outside 
the  walls. 

Captain  and  Mrs.  Neville  had  gone  on  before. 

‘^Ihere,  the  steamer  has  landed,  and  here  are  some 
people  coming  up  from  it,”  said  the  colonel,  pausing  at 
the  gate  with  Corona  on  his  arm,  as  a heavy  carriage, 


^70  AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

drawn  by  a pair  of  powerful  draught  horses,  came  up 
from  the  steamboat  landing,  and  drew  up  at  the  gate. 

A tall  man,  in  a long  overcoat  and  a fur  cap,  jumped 
down  and  approached  Corona. 

“Uncle  Clarence!  Oh,  heaven  of  heavens!  Uncle 
Clarence!”  she  exclaimed,  pale  and  faint  with  excess 
of  surprise  and  joy. 

“Yes,  my  dear ; I am  going  with  you.  See,  I have  my 
own  carriage  and  horses,  brought  all  the  way  by  steamer 
from  St.  Louis.  Our  own  servants,  brought  all  the  way 
from  North  End.  Now  introduce  me  to  your  friend 
here,  and  later  I will  tell  you  all  about  it,”  said  the  new- 
comer, with  a smile,  as  he  kissed  his  niece. 

“Oh,  Colonel , this  is  my  dear  Uncle  Clarence — 

Mr.  Clarence  Eockharrt,  I mean,”  said  Corona,  in  a 
rapture  of  confusion. 

“How  do  you  do,  sir?  I am  very  glad  to  see  you. 
Really  going  over  the  plains  with  this  train  ?”  inquired 
the  colonel,  as  the  two  gentlemen  shook  hands. 


CHAPTER  XIX 


THE  HEWCOMEES 

^^Yes,  colonel,”  briskly  replied  Clarence,  am  really 
going  out  to  the  frontier!  I have  not  enlisted  in  the 
army,  nor  have  I received  any  appointment  as  post 
trader  or  Indian  agent  from  the  government,  nor  mis- 
sionary or  schoolmaster  from  any  Christian  association. 
But,  all  the  same,  I am  en  route  for  the  Avilderness  on 
my  own  responsibility,  by  my  own  conveyance,  at  my 
own  expense,  and  with  this  outgoing  trail — if  there  be 
no  objection,”  added  Clarence,  with  a sudden  obscure 
doubt  arising  in  his  mind  that  there  might  exist  some 
military  regulation  against  the  attachment  of  any  out- 
sider to  the  trail  of  army  wagons  going  over  the  plains 
from  fort  to  fort. 

^Objections!’  What  objections  could  there  possibly 
be,  my  dear  sir  ? I fancy  there  could  be  nothing  worse 
than  a warm  welcome  for  you,”  replied  the  colonel. 

At  that  moment  Captain  Neville,  who  had  put  his 
wife  in  their  carryall,  came  up  to  see  what  had  delayed 
his  guest. 

‘^My  dear  Mrs.  Eothsay,  we  are  ready  to  start,”  he 
said.  Then  seeing  Mr.  Clarence,  whom  he  had  met  in 

271 


272 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


Washington  and  liked  very  much,  he  seized  his  hand 
and  exclaimed: 

“Why,  Eockharrt,  my  dear  fellow ! You  here ! This 
is  a surprise,  indeed ! I am  very  glad  to  see  you ! How 
are  you  ? When  did  you  arrive  V’  and  he  shook  the  hand 
of  the  newcomer  as  if  he  would  have  shaken  it  off. 

“I  am  very  well,  thank  you,  captain,  and  have  just 
landed  from  the  boat.  I hope  you  and  your  wife  are 
quite  well.” 

“Robust,  sir ! Robust ! So  glad  to  see  you ! But  so 
sorry  you  did  not  arrive  a few  days  sooner,  so  that  we 
mi^t  have  seen  more  of  you.  You  have  come,  I sup- 
pose, all  this  distance  to  bid  a last,  supplementary  fare- 
well to  your  dear  favorite  niece?” 

“I  have  come  to  go  with  her  to  the  frontier,  if  I may 
have  the  privilege  of  traveling  with  your  trail  of 
wagons.” 

“Why,  assuredly.  W'e  are  always  glad  of  good  com- 
pany on  the  way,”  heartily  responded  the  captain. 

“Oh,  beg  pardon,  and  thank  you  very  much;  but  I 
did  not  intend  to  ‘beat’  my  way.  Look  there !”  exclaimed 
Clarence,  with  a brighter  smile,  as  he  pointed  to  the 
commodious  carriage,  drawn  by  a pair  of  fine  draught 
horses,  that  stood  waiting  for  him,  and  to  the  covered 
wagon,  drawn  by  a pair  of  stout  mules,  that  was  coming 
up  behind. 

“Oh ! Ah ! Yes,  I see ! You  are  traveling  with  your 
retinue.  But  is  not  this  a very  sudden  move  on  your 
part  ?”  demanded  the  captain. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


27S 


sudden  in  its  impulse  that  it  might  be  mistaken 
for  the  flight  of  a criminal,  had  it  not  been  so  deliberate 
in  its  execution.  The  fact  is,  sir,  I am  very  much  at- 
tached to  my  widowed  niece,  and  not  being  able  to  dis- 
suade her  from  her  purpose  of  going  out  into  the  Indian 
country,  and  being  her  natural  protector  and  an  unin- 
cumbered bachelor,  I decided  to  follow  her.  And  now 
I feel  very  happy  to  have  overtaken  her  in  the  nick  of 
time.” 

see ! I see !”  said  the  captain  with  a laugh. 

While  this  talk  was  still  going  on,  Corona  turned  to 
take  a better  look  at  the  great,  strong  carriage  in  which 
her  uncle  had  driven  up  from  the  steamboat  landing. 
There,  to  her  surprise  and  delight,  she  saw  young  Mark, 
from  Eockhold,  seated  on  the  box.  He  was  staring  at 
her,  trying  to  catch  her  eye,  and  when  he  did  so  he 
grinned  and  bobbed,  and  bobbed  and  grinned,  half  a 
dozen  times,  in  as  many  half  seconds. 

^Why,  Mark!  I am  so  surprised!”  said  Corona,  as 
she  went  toward  him.  am  so  glad  to  see  you !” 

^^Yes’m.  Thanky^m.  So  is  I.  Yes’m,  an’  dar’s  mam- 
my an’  daddy  an’  Sister  Phebe  ’hind  dar  in  de  wagon,” 
jerking  his  head  toward  the  rear. 

Corona  looked,  and  her  heart  leaped  with  joy  to  see 
the  dear,  familiar  faces  of  the  colored  servants  who  had 
been  about  her  from  her  childhood.  Eor  there  on  the 
front  seat  of  the  wagon  sat  old  John,  from  Eockhold, 
with  the  reins  in  his  hands,  drawing  up  the  team  of 
mules,  while  on  one  side  of  him  sat  his  middle-aged 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


wife,  Martha,  the  housekeeper,  and  on  the  other  his 
young  daughter,  Phebe,  once  lady’s  maid  to  Corona 
Rothsay. 

Corona  uttered  a little  cry  of  joy  as  she  hastened  to- 
ward the  wagon.  The  three  colored  people  saw  her  at 
once,  and,  with  the  unconventionality  of  their  old  servi- 
tude, shouted  out  in  chorus! 

‘‘How  do.  Miss  C’rona?” 

“Sarvint,  Miss  C’rona!” 

“Didn’t  ’spect  to  see  we  dem  come  trapesin’  arter  yer 
’way  out  yere,  did  yer  now  ?” 

And  they  also  grinned  and  bobbed,  and  bobbed  and 
grinned,  between  every  word,  as  they  tumbled  off  their 
seats  and  ran  to  meet  her. 

Mr.  Clarence  hoisted  the  two  women  to  their  seats, 
one  on  each  side  of  the  driver,  and  then  turned  to  Co- 
rona. 

“Come,  my  dear.  Let  me  put  you  into  our  carriage,” 
he  said,  as  he  drew  her  arm  within  his  own  and  led  her 
on. 

“Oh!  I have  not  taken  leave  of  Colonel  yet. 

Where  is  he  ?”  she  inquired,  looking  around. 

“Here  I am,  my  dear  Mrs.  Rothsay.  Waiting  at  the 
carriage  door  to  put  you  in  your  seat  and  to  wish  you  a 
pleasant  journey.  And  certainly,  if  this  initial  day  is 
any  index  you  will  have  a pleasant  one,  for  I never  saw 
finer  weather  at  this  season  of  the  year,”  said  the  colonel 
cheerily,  as  he  received  Corona  from  her  uncle’s  hand, 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  275 

and,  with  the  stately  courtesy  of  the  olden  time,  placed 
her  in  her  seat. 

thank  you,  colonel,  for  all  the  kindness  I have  re- 
ceived at  your  hands  and  at  those  of  Mrs. . I shall 

never  forget  it.  Good-by,^’  said  Corona,  giving  him 
her  hand. 

He  lifted  the  tips  of  her  fingers  to  his  lips,  bowed, 
and  stepped  back. 

Mr.  Clarence  entered  the  carriage  and  gave  the  order 
to  the  young  coachman.  Carriage  and  covered  wagon 
then  fell  into  the  procession,  which  began  to  move  on. 
A farewell  gun  was  fired  from  the  fort. 

^^Uncle  Clarence,”  said  Corona,  after  the  party  had 
been  on  the  road  some  hours,  ^^Uncle  Clarence,  how 
came  you  first  to  think  of  such  a strange  move  as  to 
leave  the  works  and  come  out  here  ? And  when  did  you 
first  make  up  your  mind  to  do  it 

think,  Cora,  my  dear,  that  the  idea  came  vaguely 
into  my  mind,  as  a mere  possibility,  after  my  fa- 
ther’s death.  It  occurred  to  me  that  there  was  no  abso- 
lute necessity  for  my  remaining  longer  at  the  works. 
You  see,  Cora,  however  much  I might  have  wished  for 
a change  in  my  life,  I never  could  have  vexed  my  father 
by  even  expressing  such  a wish,  while  he  lived.  After 
his  death  I thought  of  it  vaguely.” 

^^Oh ! why  didn’t  you  tell  me  ?” 

^^My  mind  was  not  made  up;  therefore  I spoke  of 
the  matter  to  no  one.  I only  hinted  something  to  you, 
when  on  bidding  you  good-by  at  North  End  Junction  I 


'276 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


told  you  that  you  might  possibly  see  me  before  you 
would  expect  to  do  so.” 

“Yes ; I remember  that  well.  I thought  you  only  said 
that  to  comfort  me.  And  you  really  meant  that  you 
might  possibly  follow  me  ?” 

“Yes,  my  dear;  that  is  just  what  I meant.  I could 
not  speak  more  plainly  because  I was  not  sure  of  my 
own  course.  I had  to  think  of  Fabian.” 

“Yes.  How,  at  last,  came  you  to  the  conclusion  of 
following  your  poor  niece  ?” 

“Fabian  and  myself  could  not  agree  upon  a certain 
policy  in  conducting  our  business.  There  was  no  longer 
the  father’s  controlling  influence,  you  see,  and  Fabian 
is  the  head  of  the  firm ; and  I could  not  do  business  on 
his  principles,”  said  Mr.  Clarence,  flushing  up  to  his 
brow. 

“No;  I suppose  you  could  not,”  said  Cora,  medita- 
tively; and  then  she  was  sorry  that  she  had  said  any- 
thing that  might  imply  a reproach  to  the  good-humored 
uncle  she  had  left  behind. 

“Still,  I said  nothing  about  a dissolution  of  partner- 
ship until  Fabian  complained  that  I,  or  my  policy,  was 
a dead  weight  around  his  neck,  dragging  him  down 
from  the  most  magnificent  flights  to  mere  sordid  drudg- 
ery. Then  I proposed  that  we  should  dissolve  partner- 
ship. And  he  said  he  was  sorry.  And  I believe  he  was ; 
but  also  glad,  inconsistent  as  that  seems.  For  he  was 
sorry  I could  not  come  into  his  policy,  and  stay  in  the 
firm ; but  since  I could  not  so  agree  with  him,  he  was  re- 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


m 


lieved  when  I proposed  to  withdraw  from  it.  We  dis- 
agreed, my  dear  Cora,  but  we  did  not  fall  out ; we  parted 
good  friends  and  brothers  with  tears  in  our  eyes.  Poor 
little  Violet  cried  a good  deal.  But  you  know  she  has 
such  a tender  heart,  poor  child ! Look  at  that  herd  of 
deer,  Cora,  standing  on  the  top  of  that  swell  of  the  land 
to  the  right,  and  actually  gazing  at  the  trail  without  a 
motion  or  a panic.  I hope  nobody  will  shoot  at  them  1’^ 
exclaimed  Mr.  Clarence,  suddenly  breaking  off  in  his 
discourse  to  point  to  the  denizens  of  the  thicket  and  the 
prairie,  until  upon  some  sudden  impulse  the  whole  herd 
turned  and  bounded  away. 

So  they  fared  on  through  that  glorious  autumn  day — 
over  the  vast,  rolling,  solitary  prairie — now  rising  to  a 
smooth,  gradual  elevation  that  revealed  the  circle  of  the 
whole  horizon  where  it  met  the  sky;  now  descending 
into  a wide,  shallow  hollow,  where  the  rising  ground 
around  inclosed  them  as  in  an  amphitheater ; but  every- 
where along  the  trail,  the  prairie  grass,  dried  and  bur- 
nished by  the  autumn’s  suns  and  winds,  burned  like 
gold  on  the  hills  and  bronze  in  the  hollows,  giving  a 
singularly  beautiful  effect  in  light  and  shade  of  min- 
gling metallic  hues. 

At  noon  the  captain  ordered  a halt,  and  all  the  teams 
were  drawn  up  in  a line;  and  all  the  men  got  out  to 
feed  and  water  the  horses  and  mules,  and  to  prepare 
their  own  dinner. 

They  were  now  beside  a clear,  deep,  narrow  stream,  a 
tributary  of  the  Kansas  River,  running  through  a pic- 


278 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


turesque  valley,  carpeted  with  long  grass,  and  bordered 
with  low,  well-wooded  hills  on  either  side.  The  bur- 
nished gold  and  bronze  of  the  long  dried  grass  on  the 
river’s  brim,  dotted  here  and  there  with  a late  scarlet 
prairie  flower,  the  brilliant  crimson  and  purple  of  the 
autumn  foliage  that  clothed  the  trees,  the  bright  blue 
of  the  sky  and  the  soft  white  of  the  few  downy  clouds 
floating  overhead,  and  all  reflected  and  duplicated  in  the 
river  below,  made  a beauty  and  glory  of  color  that  must 
have  delighted  the  soul  of  an  artist,  and  pleased  the  eye 
of  even  the  most  careless  observer. 

Mike  O’Reilly,  the  captain’s  orderly,  was  busy 
spreading  a table  cloth  on  the  grass,  at  the  foot  of  a hill 
on  the  right,  and  old  John,  Mr.  Clarence’s  man,  was  em- 
ulating Mike  by  spreading  a four-yard  square  of  white 
damask  at  a short  distance  behind  him. 

Our  friends  had  nearly  finished  their  lunch,  when 
something — she  never  could  tell  what — caused  Corona 
to  look  behind  her.  Then  she  shrieked ! All  looked  to 
see  the  cause  of  her  sudden  fright. 

There  stood  a group  of  Indians,  with  blankets  around 
their  forms,  and  gleaming  tomahawks  about  their 
shoulders. 

^^Pawnees — friendly.  Don’t  be  afraid.  Give  them 
something  to  eat,”  said  the  captain,  in  a low  tone,  ad- 
dressing the  first  part  of  his  conversation  to  Corona  and 
the  last  part  to  Mrs.  Neville. 

But  Corona  had  never  seen  an  Indian  in  her  life,  and 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


279 


could  not  at  once  get  over  her  panic  caused  by  the  sight 
of  those  bare,  keen-edged  axes  gleaming  in  the  sun. 

Captain  Neville  spoke  to  them  in  their  native  tongue, 
and  they  replied.  The  conversation  that  ensued  was 
quite  unintelligible  to  Clarence  and  Corona,  but  not  to 
Mrs.  Neville,  who  beckoned  to  two  squaws  who  stood 
humbly  in  the  rear  of  the  braves.  They  were  both 
clothed  in  short,  rude,  blue  cotton  skirts,  with  blankets 
over  their  shoulders.  The  elder  squaw  carried  a pack 
on  her  back;  the  younger  one  carried  a baby  snugly 
in  a hood  made  of  the  loop  of  her  blanket  at  the  back  of 
her  neck. 

They  both  approached  the  ladies,  chattering  as  they 
came ; the  elder  one  threw  down  her  pack  on  the  grass 
and  began  to  open  it,  and  display  a number  of  dressed 
raccoon  skins  stretched  upon  sticks,  and  by  gibberring 
and  gesticulations  expressed  her  wish  to  sell  them. 

Neither  of  the  ladies  wished  to  buy;  but  Mrs.  Neville 
gave  her  loaves  of  bread  and  junks  of  dried  beef  from 
the  hampers  on  the  grass,  and  Corona  gave  her  money. 

She  put  the  money  in  a little  fur  pouch  she  carried  at 
her  belt,  and  she  packed  the  bread  and  beef  in  the 
bundle  with  the  highly  flavored  raccoon  skins.  She  was 
not  fastidious. 

While  Mrs.  Neville  and  Corona  were  occupied  with 
the  squaw.  Captain  Neville  and  Mr.  Clarence  had  been 
feasting  the  braves,  and  the  attendants  had  been 
washing  dishes,  repacking  hampers,  and  reloading  wag- 
ons for  a fresh  start. 


Saa  AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

When  all  was  ready  the  wayfarers  took  leave  of  the 
Indians  and  reentered  their  conveyances  and  resumed 
their  route,  leaving  the  savages  still  feasting  on  the  frag- 
ments that  remained. 

It  was  now  two  o’clock  in  the  afternoon,  as  the  long 
trail  of  carryalls  and  army  wagons  passed  up  from  the 
beautiful  valley  and  out  upon  the  vast  prairie  that  still 
rolled  on  before  them  in  hills  and  hollows  of  gold  and 
bronze,  blazing  under  the  bright  autumnal  sun. 

Men  and  women,  mules  and  horses,  had  all  been 
rested  and  refreshed  by  their  mid-day  halt  and  repast. 

The  people,  however,  seemed  less  inclined  to  observe 
and  converse  than  in  the  forenoon. 

Even  Clarence  saw  more  than  one  flock  of  birds 
sail  over  their  heads,  and  made  no  sign ; saw  a herd  of 
deer  stand  and  gaze,  and  said  not  a word. 

At  length  Clarence  took  out  his  cigar  and  lit  it,  and 
as  he  smoked  he  watched  the  descending  sun  until  it 
sank  below  the  horizon  and  sent  up  the  most  singular 
afterglow  that  Clarence  had  ever  seen — a shower  of 
sparks  and  needle-like  flames  from  the  edge  of  the 
prairie  immediately  under  the  horizon. 

‘Tooks  like  de  worl’  was  ketchin’  on  fire  ober  dere, 
Marse  Clarence,”  said  young  Mark,  speaking  for  the 
first  time  since  they  had  resumed  their  march. 

“It  is  only  the  light  reflected  by  the  prairie,  my  boy,” 
kindly  replied  Mr.  Clarence.  And  then  he  smoked  on 
in  silence,  while  the  afterglow  died  out,  the  twilight 
faded,  and  one  by  one  the  stars  came  out.  Corona 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


281 


seemed  to  be  slumbering  in  her  seat.  Young  Mark 
crooned  low,  as  if  to  himself,  a weird,  old  camp-meeting 
hymn.  It  was  so  dark  that  he  could  not  have  seen  to 
guide  his  horses,  had  not  the  captain’s  carryall  been  im- 
mediately in  front  of  his  own,  and  the  long  trail  of 
wagons  in  front  of  the  captain’s,  with  lantern  carried  by 
the  advance  guard  to  show  the  way. 

^^What’s  the  matter?”  suddenly  called  out  Mr.  Clar- 
ence, who  was  aroused  from  his  reverie  by  the  halt  of 
the  whole  procession. 

’pears  to  got  sumwhurze,”  replied  Mark,  strong- 
ly pulling  in  his  horses,  which  had  nearly  run  into  the 
back  of  the  captain’s  stationary  carryall  in  front. 

are  at  Burley’s,”  called  out  Captain  Neville 
from  his  seat. 

While  he  spoke  Mike  O’Reilly  brought  up  a lantern 
to  show  their  way  to  the  house. 

Clarence  alighted  and  handed  down  his  niece,  took 
her  arm,  and  followed  Captain  and  Mrs.  Neville  past 
the  wagons  and  mules  and  groups  of  men  through  a door 
that  admitted  them  into  a long,  low-ceiled  room,  lighted 
and  warmed  by  a large  cooking  stove  in  the  middle  of 
the  floor.  Rude,  unpainted  wooden  chairs,  benches  and 
tables  were  the  only  furniture,  if  we  except  the  rough 
shelves  on  which  coarse  crockery  and  tinware  were  ar- 
ranged and  under  which  iron  cooking  utensils  were  piled. 

Captain  Neville  and  Mr.  Clarence  returned  to  the 
wagons  to  see  for  themselves  that  their  valuable  per- 
sonal effects  were  safely  bestowed  for  the  night,  and 


582 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


that  the  horses  and  mules  were  well  cared  for.  The  pro- 
prietor of  this  place  attended  them. 

While  Mrs.  Neville  and  Corona  still  walked  up  and 
down  in  the  room,  a small  dark-haired  woman  came  in 
and  nodded  to  them,  and  asked  if  they  would  like  to  go 
upstairs  and  have  some  water  to  wash  their  faces. 

Both  ladies  thankfully  accepted  this  offer,  and  fol- 
lowed the  landlady  up  a rude  flight  of  steps  that  led  up 
from  the  corner  of  the  room  to  an  open  trap  door, 
through  which  they  entered  the  garret. 

This  was  nothing  better  than  a loft,  whose  rough 
plank  floor  formed  the  ceiling  of  the  room  below,  and 
whose  sloping  roof  rose  from  the  floor  front  and  back, 
and  met  overhead. 

Here  they  rested  through  the  night. 

Let  us  hasten  on.  It  was  the  thirteenth  day  out.  The 
trail  had  crossed  nearly  the  whole  of  the  Indian  Terri- 
tory, and  were  within  one  day’s  march  of  Fort  Farther- 
most, on  the  Texan  frontier. 

They  had  passed  the  previous  night  at  Fort  W.,  and 
at  sunrise  they  had  crossed  the  Rio  Negro,  and  before 
noon  they  had  made  nearly  a score  of  miles  toward  their 
destination.  They  halted  beside  a little  stream  that 
took  its  rise  in  a spring  among  the  rocks  on  the  right 
hand  of  the  trail.  Here  the  party  meant  to  rest  for 
two  hours  before  resuming  the  march  to  Fort  Farther- 
most, which  they  hoped  to  reach  that  same  night. 

As  usual  at  the  noon  rest,  mules  and  horses  were  un- 
harnessed and  led  down  to  the  stream  to  be  watered  and 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


283 


fed.  Eires  were  built  and  rustic  cranes  improvised  to 
hang  the  pots  and  kettles  gypsy  style.  Since  the  first 
day  out  old  Martha  had  been  constituted  cook  and  old 
John  butler  to  our  party. 

In  a short  time  Martha  had  prepared  such  a hot  din- 
ner as  was  practicable  under  the  circumstances,  and 
John  had  laid  the  cloth. 

When  all  was  ready  the  party  of  four  sat  down  on 
the  dry  grass  to  partake  of  the  meal,  to  every  course  of 
which  they  all  did  ample  justice. 

^^This  is  our  last  al  fresco  feast,’’  said  Captain  Nev- 
ille, after  dinner,  as  he  filled  the  glasses  of  the  two 
ladies  and  of  Clarence  Eockharrt  and  proposed  the 
toast : 

^^Our  lasting  friendship  and  companionship.” 

It  was  honored  warmly. 

Next  Clarance  proposed: 

^^Mrs.  Neville,”  which  was  also  honored  and  respond- 
ed to  by  the  captain  in  a neat  little  speech,  at  the  end  of 
which  he  proposed: 

^^Mrs.  Eothsay.” 

This  was  duly  met  by  Clarence  with  a brief  acknowl- 
edgment. Mr.  Clarence  was  no  speechmaker.  But  he 
proposed  the  health  of — ■ 

^^Our  gallant  captain,”  which  was  drunk  with  enthu- 
siasm. 

The  captain  responded,  and  proposed — 

^^Mr.  Clarence  Eockharrt,”  which  was  cordially  hon- 
ored. 


^84i  AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

Then  Mr.  Clarence  made  his  last  little  speech  of  per- 
sonal thanks. 

After  this  the  company  arose  and  separated,  to  wan- 
der about  the  camping  ground,  to  stretch  their  cramped 
limbs  before  returning  to  their  seats  on  their  carryalls. 

^^Come,  Clarence,  let  us  follow  this  little  stream  up 
to  its  head.  It  cannot  be  far  away/^  said  Corona. 

Mr.  Clarence  silently  drew  her  arm  within  his,  and 
they  walked  on  up  the  little  valley  until  it  narrowed 
into  a gorge,  clothed  with  stunted  trees  in  brilliant  au- 
tumn hues,  through  which  the  gray  rocks  jutted.  The 
tinkling  of  the  spring  which  supplied  the  stream  could 
be  heard  while  it  was  yet  out  of  sight. 

^^Did  you  bring  your  drinking  cup  with  you,  Clar- 
ence ? I should  like  a draught  from  the  spring,”  said 
Corona. 

“Oh,  yes,”  said  her  uncle,  producing  the  silver  cup. 
They  clambered  up  the  side  of  the  gorge  until  they 
reached  the  spring — a great  jet  of  water  issuing  from 
the  rock.  But  there  both  stopped  short,  spellbound,  in 
amazement.  On  a ledge  of  rock  above  the  spring,  and 
facing  them,  stood  a majestic  man,  clothed  in  coat  of 
buckskin,  faced  and  bordered  with  fur,  leggings  of 
buckskin  and  sandals  of  buffalo  hide.  On  his  head  he 
wore  a fur  cap  that  half  concealed  his  ta^vny  hair.  The 
face  was  fine,  but  sunburnt,  and  half  covered  with  a 
long,  tawny  beard.  Corona  looked  up,  and  recognized — 

Regulas  Rothsay! 

With  a cry  of  terror,  she  struck  her  hands  to  her 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


285 


eyes,  as  if  to  dispel  an  optical  illusion,  and  sank  half 
fainting,  to  be  caught  in  the  arms  of  her  uncle  and  laid 
against  the  side  of  the  rocks,  while  he  sprinkled  her  face 
with  water  from  the  spring. 

She  recovered  her  breath,  opened  her  eyes,  and  looked 
anxiously,  fearfully,  all  around  her. 

There  was  no  one  in  sight  anywhere.  The  apparition 
had  vanished.  Corona  and  her  uncle  were  alone* 


CHAPTEE  XX 


THE  MEETING  ON  THE  MOUNT 

^^What  is  this  ? Am  I mad  ? Have  I seen  a spirit  ? 
Oh,  Clarence,  what  is  it  cried  Corona,  in  a tumult  of 
emotion  in  which  her  life  seemed  throbbing  away  as  she 
clung  to  her  uncle  for  support. 

^^Try  to  compose  yourself,  dear  Cora,’^  he  answered, 
as  he  gently  laid  her  down  on  the  mossy  rocks,  and 
went  and  brought  her  water  from  the  spring  in  his 
pocket  cup. 

She  raised  herself  and  drank  it  at  his  request,  and 
then  staring  wildly  at  him,  repeated  her  questions : 

^^Oh,  what  was  it  ? Who  was  here  just  now  ? Or  was 
it — or  was  it — was  it — delusion 

^Tor  Heaven’s  sake,  Cora,  calm  yourself.  It  was 
Eegulas  Eothsay  who  stood  here  a moment  ago.” 

^^Eule  himself,  and  no  delusion!  But,  oh!  I knew 
it ! I knew  it  all  the  time !”  she  exclaimed,  still  trem- 
bling violently. 

^^My  darling  Cora,  try ” 

''Where  did  he  go?  Where?”  she  cried,  staggering 
to  her  feet  and  clinging  to  her  uncle.  "Where?  Oh, 
take  me  to  him !” 


286 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


287 


^^Do  you  see  that  log  cabin  on  the  plateau  above  us, 
Cora,  to  the  right  he  said,  pointing  in  the  direction 
of  which  he  spoke. 

Her  eyes  followed  his  index,  and  she  saw  a cottage 
of  rough-hewn  logs  standing  against  the  rocky  steep  at 
the  back  of  the  broad  ledge  above  them. 

‘^What  do  you  mean?  Is  he  up  there?  Is  he  up 
there?’’  she  breathlessly  demanded. 

^^Yes ; he  is  in  that  hut.  I saw  him  climb  the  rocks 
and  enter  it,  and  close  the  door.  But,  for  Heaven’s  sake ! 
compose  yourself,  my  dear.  You  are  shaking  as  with 
an  ague,  and  your  hands  are  cold  as  ice,”  said  Clarence. 

^Tn  that  hut,  did  you  say  ? So  near  ? So  near  ?” 

^^Yes,  dear  Cora ; but  be  calm.” 

^^Take  me  there ! Take  me  there ! Oh,  give  me  your 
arm,  Uncle  Clarence,  and  help  me.  My  limbs  fail  now, 
when  I need  them  more  than  ever  before.  Ah ! and  my 
heart  fails,  too!”  she  moaned,  growing  suddenly  pale 
and  fainter  as  she  leaned  heavily  against  her  uncle. 

^Uora,  darling  I Cora,  rouse  yourself,  my  girl ! This 
weakness  is  not  like  you.  Take  courage;  all  will  be 
well,”  said  Mr.  Clarence,  caressingly,  laying  his  hand 
on  her  head. 

She  sighed  heavily  as  she  asked: 

‘^How  will  he  receive  me  ? Oh,  how  will  he  receive 
me?  Will  he  have  me  now?  But  he  must!  Oh,  he 
must!  Eor  I will  never,  never,  never  go  down  this 
mountain  side  again  without  him ! I will  perish  on  its 


S88 


:a.n  unrequited  love 


rocks  sooner ! Oh,  come,  come ! Help  me  to  reach  that 
hut,  Clarence!” 

There  was  no  resisting  her  wild  and  passionate  ap- 
peal. Clarence  put  his  arm  around  her  waist,  to  sustain 
her  more  effectually,  as  he  said: 

‘‘Now  lean  on  me,  Cora,  and  step  carefully,  for  the 
path  is  almost  hidden,  and  very  rugged.” 

“Oh,  Clarence,  did  he  recognize  me?  did  he,  Clar- 
ence? did  he?”  she  eagerly  inquired. 

“Yes,  Cora,  he  did,”  gravely  answered  the  young  un- 
cle. 

“And  turned  and  went  away ! And  turned  and  went 
away!  Went  away  and  left  me  without  one  word!” 
she  wailed,  in  doubt  and  distress. 

“Cora,  my  dear,  pray  control  yourself,”  said  Clar- 
ence, uneasily. 

“Did  he  speak  to  you  ?”  she  suddenly  inquired. 

“Not  one  word.” 

“Did  you  speak  to  him  ?” 

“No;  for  he  was  gone  in  an  instant,  before  I recov- 
ered from  my  astonishment  at  his  appearance.” 

“How  did  he  look?  how  did  he  look  when  he  recog- 
nized me  ? In  anger  ?” 

“No,  Corona;  but  in  much  sorrow,  pity,  and  tender- 
ness,” gravely  replied  Clarence. 

“Then  why  did  he  leave  me?  Oh,  why  did  he  turn 
away  from  me?” 

“My  dear,  he  had  every  reason  to  think  that  his  sud- 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  289 

den  appearance  had  frightened  you,  and  that  his  pres- 
ence grieved  and  distressed  you/^ 

^^Why,  oh,  why  should  he  have  thought  so  she  de- 
manded, with  increasing  agitation. 

^^My  dear  girl,  you  were  frightened.  I might  say  ap- 
palled. You  saw  him  suddenly,  and  with  a half-smoth- 
ered  scream  threw  your  hands  to  your  eyes  as  if  to  shut 
out  the  sight,  and  then  sank  to  the  ground.  Now  what 
could  the  man  think  but  that  you  feared  and  hated  the 
sight  of  himf’ 

^^Just  as  he  thought  before!  Just  as  he  thought  be- 
fore 

^^And  he  turned  sorrowfully  away  and  walked  up  to 
his  cabin  on  the  mount,  entered,  and  shut  the  door.  I 
saw  him  do  it.’^ 

^^Just  as  he  did  before  I Just  as  he  did  before  I Oh, 
Rule!  what  a fatality!  That  appearances  should  al- 
ways be  false  and  disastrous  between  us  !’^  she  moaned. 

^^Not  in  this  case,  Cora.  At  least  not  from  this  hour. 
Come,  we  are  on  the  ledge  now !’’  said  Clarence,  as  he 
helped  his  niece,  who  with  one  more  high  step  stood  on 
the  top  of  the  plateau,  her  back  to  one  of  the  most  glo- 
rious prairie  scenes  in  nature,  her  face  to  a rocky,  pine- 
dotted  precipice,  against  which  stood  a double  log  cabin 
with  a door  in  the  middle  and  a window  on  each  side. 

^^There  is  the  hut!  Now,  shall  I take  you  there,  or 
shall  I wait  here  and  let  you  go  alone  he  inquired,  as 
they  stood  side  by  side  gazing  on  the  hut. 

She  did  not  answer.  Her  eyes  were  riveted  on  the 


^90  AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

door  of  the  cabin,  while  she  leaned  heavily  on  the  arm 
of  her  uncle. 

“I  see  how  it  is ; you  are  weakening,  losing  courage. 
Let  me  support  you  to  the  door,”  said  Clarence,  putting 
his  arm  around  her  waist. 

But  she  drew  herself  up  suddenly. 

“Oh,  let  me  go  alone,  dear  Uncle  Clarence.  My 
meeting  with  Rule  should  be  face  to  face  only,”  she  re- 
plied, still  trembling,  but  resolute. 

“Are  you  sure  you  can  do  it  ?” 

“Oh,  yes,  yes ! My  limbs  shall  no  longer  refuse  their 
office !” 

Clarence  threw  himself  down  at  the  foot  of  a pine  tree 
to  sit  and  await  events. 

He  took  out  his  watch  and  looked  at  the  time. 

“It  is  one  o’clock,”  he  said  to  himself.  “At  two  sharp 
the  trail  will  move,  or  ought  to  do  so.  Perhaps  Neville 
might  give  us  half  an  hour’s  grace,  though.  At  any 
rate,  I will  wait  here  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  and  if 
in  that  time  I hear  nothing  from  Eothsay  or  Cora  I shall 
■go  down  the  mountain  to  explain  the  situation  to 
Neville.” 

So  saying,  Mr.  Clarence  took  out  his  pipe,  filled  and 
lighted  it,  and  smoked. 

Corona,  like  a somnambulist  or  a blind  woman,  went 
slowly  toward  the  log  cabin,  holding  out  her  hands  be- 
fore her.  She  soon  reached  it,  leaned  for  a moment 
against  the  log  wall  to  recover  her  breath  and  her  cour- 
age, and  then  knocked. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


291 


The  door  was  instantly  opened,  and  Eegulas  Eothsay 
stood  on  the  threshold,  still  clothed  in  his  hunter’s  suit 
of  buckskin,  but  without  the  fur  cap — the  same  Eule, 
unchanged  except  in  habiliments  and  in  the  length  of 
his  untrimmed,  tawny  hair  and  beard. 

In  the  instant  of  meeting  she  raised  her  eyes  to  his, 
and  read  in  them  the  undying  love  of  his  heart. 

With  a cry  of  rapture,  of  infinite  relief  and  infinite 
content,  she  sank  upon  his  doorstep,  clasped  his  knees, 
and  laid  her  beautiful  head  down  prone  on  his  feet. 
Only  for  a second. 

He  instantly  raised  her  in  his  arms,  pressed  her  to  his 
heart,  kissed  her,  and  kissed  her  again  and  again,  bore 
her  into  the  cabin,  placed  her  in  the  only  chair,  and 
knelt  down  beside  her. 

She  turned  and  threw  her  arms  around  his  neck,  and 
dropped  her  head  upon  his  bosom. 

And  not  a word  was  spoken  between  them.  The  emo- 
tions of  both  were  too  great  for  utterance,  too  great  al- 
most for  endurance. 

They  were  bathed  in  a flood  of  light  from  the  noon- 
day sun  pouring  its  rays  through  the  open  door  and  win- 
dows of  the  cabin.  It  was  the  apotheosis  of  love. 

Eule  was  the  first  to  speak. 

^^Tou  are  welcome,  oh,  welcome,  as  life  to  the  dead, 
my  love ! But  I do  not  understand  my  blessedness — I 
'do  not,”  he  said,  dropping  his  head  on  her  shoulders, 
while  she  still  lay  on  his  bosom,  in  a dream,  a trance  of 
perfect  contentment. 


293 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


“Oh,  Rule,  my  husband,  my  lord,  my  king ! I have 
oorne  to  you,  unconsciously  led  by  the  Divine  Provi- 
dence ! But  I have  come  to  you,  to  stay  forever,  if  you 
will  have  me!  I have  come,  never,  never,  never  to 
leave  you,  unless  you  send  me  away !”  she  said. 

“I  send  you  away,  dear?  I send  away  my  restored 
life  from  me  ? Ah,  you  know,  you  know  how  impossi- 
ble that  would  be ! But  if  I should  try  to  tell  you,  dear, 
all  that  I feel  at  this  moment,  I should  fail,  and  talk 
folly,  for  no  human  words  can  utter  this,  dear ! But  I 
am  amazed — amazed  to  see  you  here  with  me,  as  the 
dead  to  the  material  world  might  be,  on  awaking  amid 
the  splendors  of  Paradise!” 

“You  wish  to  know  how  I came  ?” 

“No ! I do  not ! Amazed  as  I may  be,  I am  content 
to  know  that  you  are  here,  dear — here ! But,”  he  said, 
looking  around  on  the  rudeness  of  his  hut,  “oh,  what  a 
place  to  receive  you  in ! I left  you  in  a palace,  sur- 
rounded by  all  the  splendors  and  luxuries  of  civiliza- 
tion! I receive  you  in  a log  cabin,  bare  of  even  the 
necessaries  and  comforts  of  life !”  he  added,  gravely. 

“But  you  left  me  a discarded,  broken-hearted  woman, 
and  you  receive  me  a restored  and  happy  wife!”  she 
exclaimed. 

“But,  oh,  Cora!  can  you  live  with  me  here,  here? 
Look  around  you,  dear ! Look  on  the  home  you  would 
share ! — the  walls  of  logs,  the  chimney  of  rocks,  the  floor 
of  stone,  the  cups  and  dishes  of  earthenware,  pewter  and 
iron,  the ” 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


293 


She  interrupted  him,  passionately: 

^^But  you  are  here,  Rule ! You ! you ! And  the  log 
hut  is  transfigured  into  a mansion  of  light ! A mansion 
like  the  many  in  our  Heavenly  Father’s  house!  Oh, 
Rule!  you,  you  are  all,  all  to  me!  life,  joy,  riches, 
splendor,  all  to  me ! Am  I all  to  you.  Rule 
^^All  of  earth  and  heaven,  dear.” 

^^Oh,  happy  I am!  Oh,  I thank  God,  I thank  God 
for  this  happiness ! Rule,  we  will  never  part  again ! — 
never  for  a single  day ! But  be  together,  to-day  and 

^To-morrow  and  to-morrow  and  to-morrow. 

To  the  last  syllable  of  recorded  time,’ 

and  through  the  endless  ages  of  eternity!  Oh,  Rule, 
how  could  we  ever  have  mistaken  our  hearts?  How 
could  we  ever  have  parted  ?” 

^^The  mistake  was  mine  only,  dear.  After  what  you 
told  me  on  our  marriage  day,  I lost  all  hope,  all  interest 
and  ambition  in  life.  I had  toiled  and  striven  and  con- 
quered, for  the  one  dear  prize ; all  my  battle  of  life  was 
fought  for  you ; all  my  victories  were  won  for  you,  and 
were  laid  at  your  feet.  But  when  I found  that  all  my 
love  and  hope  had  brought  only  grief  and  despair  to  you 
— then,  dear,  all  my  triumphs  turned  into  Dead  Sea 
fruit  on  my  lips ! Then  I left  all  and  came  into  the  wil- 
derness; left  no  trace  behind  me;  effaced  myself  from 
your  life,  from  the  world,  as  effectually  as  I could  do  it 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


S94- 

and  so — ^believing  it  to  be  for  your  good  and  happiness 
— died  to  the  world  and  died  to  you !” 

“Oh,  Rule ! Miserable  woman  that  I was ! I wrecked 
your  life!  I wrecked  your  career!” 

“No,  dear,  no;  the  mistake,  I said,  was  mine!  I 
should  have  trusted  your  heart.  I should  have  given, 
you  the  time  you  implored;  I should  not  have  fled  in 
the  madness  of  suddenly  wounded  affection.” 

“Oh,  Rule!  if  you  could  have  only  looked  back  on 
me  after  you  went  away,  only  known  the  anguish  your 
disappearance  caused  me  and  the  inconsolable  sorrow 
of  the  time  that  followed  it.” 

“If  I could  have  supposed  it  possible  even,  I would 
have  hastened  to  you,  from  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
earth !” 

“And  then  they  reported  you  dead,  murdered  by  the 
Comanches,  in  the  massacre  of  La  Terrepeur,  and  sor- 
row was  deepened  to  despair.” 

“Yes;  I heard  of  that  massacre.  The  report  of  my 
death  must  have  arisen  in  this  way:  I had  lived  at  La 
Terrepeur  for  many  months,  but  had  left  and  come  to 
this  place  some  days  before  the  massacre.  Some  other 
unfortunate  was  murdered  and  burned  in  the  deserted 
hut,  whose  bones  were  found  in  ashes.  I did  not  return 
to  contradict  the  report.  I wished  to  be  dead  to  the 
world,  as  I was  dead  to  hope,  dead  to  you,  dead  to  my- 
self!” 

“Oh,  Rule ! in  all  that  time  how  T longed,  famished. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  295 

fainted,  died,  for  your  presence!  Yes,  Rule;  died 
daily.’^ 

^^My  own  dear  Cora,  how  could  I have  mistaken  you  ? 
Oh ! if  I had  only  known 

^^Ah,  yes  I if  you  had  only  known  my  heart,  or  I had 
only  known  your  whereabouts!  In  either  case  we 
should  have  met  before,  and  not  lost  four  years  out  of 
our  lives ! But  now.  Rule,’’  she  said,  with  sudden  ani- 
mation, ^^now  ^We  meet  to  part  no  more,’  as  the  hymn 
says.  I will  never,  never,  never,  leave  you  for  a day! 
I will  be  your  very  shadow !” 

^^My  sunshine,  rather,  dear!” 

^^And  are  you  content.  Rule  ?” 

^Tnfinitely.” 

^^And  happy  ?” 

^^Perfectly.” 

^Thank  God ! So  am  I.  But  why,  oh,  why  when  we 
met  by  the  spring  just  now,  why,  when  I was  crazed 
with  joy  and  fear  at  the  sudden  sight  of  you,  why  did 
you  turn  away  and  leave  me?”  she  passionately  de- 
manded. 

He  looked  at  her  serenely,  incisively,  and  answered, 
calmly,  quietly: 

^^Dear,  because  you  shrank  from  me,  threw  your 
hands  up  before  your  eyes,  as  if  to  shut  out  the  sight  of 
me.  Dear,  your  own  sudden  appearance  before  me  at 
the  spring,  to  which  I had  gone  for  my  noonday  draught 
of  water,  nearly  overwhelmed  me ; but  I readily  recov- 
ered myself  and  understood  it,  connected  it  with  the 


296 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


trail  below,  and  concluded  that  you  were  on  your  way  to 
Earthermost  to  join  your  brother,  whom  I had  heard  of 
as  one  of  the  officers  of  the  new  fort.  Then,  believing 
that  my  presence  distressed  you,  I went  away.” 

“Oh,  Rule!” 

After  a little  while  Eothsay  inquired : 

“Was  not  that  Mr.  Clarence  Eockharrt  whom  I saw 
with  you  by  the  spring  ?” 

“Yes;  Uncle  Clarence.  He  helped  me  up  to  this 
ledge,  and  then  he  stayed  outside  while  I came  in  here 
to  look  for  you.” 

“Let  us  go  and  bring  him  in  now,  dear,”  said  Eule. 

And  the  two  walked  out  together. 

But  no  one  was  to  be  seen  on  the  plateau;  only,  on 
the  ground  under  the  pine  tree  where  Mr.  Clarence  had 
rested  was  a piece  of  white  paper,  kept  in  place  by  a 
small  stone  laid  upon  it. 

Eule  picked  up  the  stone,  and  handed  the  paper  to 
Cora. 

It  proved  to  be  a leaf  from  Mr.  Clarence’s  pocket  tab- 
lets, and  on  it  was  written : 

“I  am  going  down  the  mountain  to  tell  Captain  Nev- 
ille that  my  party  will  camp  here  to-night,  and  join  him 
at  the  fort  to-morrow,  so  that  he  may  go  on  with  his 
train  at  once,  if  he  should  see  fit.  Clakence.” 

“He  saw  you  receive  me;  he  knew  it  was  all  right; 
then  he  grew  tired  of  waiting  for  me.  He  thought  I had 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


29T 

forgotten  him,  and  so  I had,  and  he  left  this  paper  and 
went  down  to  the  trail,’’  Corona  explained  with  a smile. 

^^Shall  we  go  down  and  see  your  friends,  Cora  ? Tell 
me  what  you  wish,  dear,”  said  Eothsay. 

Corona  looked  at  her  watch,  and  then  replied : 

^^Courtesy  would  have  required  me  to  go  down  and 
take  leave  of  Captain  and  Mrs.  Neville  before  leaving 
them,  but  it  is  too  late  now.  Their  caravan  is  on  the 
march  by  this  time.  They  were  to  have  resumed  their 
route  at  two  o’clock.  It  is  after  three  now.” 

can  go  to  Farthermost  later,  dear.  It  is  but 
half  a day’s  ride  from  here.  Shall  we  go  down  the 
mountain  and  join  Clarence?  Is  it  your  wish,  Cora?” 

^^No,  not  yet.  He  is  very  well  as  he  is.  He  can  wait 
for  us.  Let  us  sit  down  here  together.  I have  so  much 
to  tell,  and  so  much  to  hear,”  said  Corona. 

^^Yes,  dear;  and  I also  have  ^so  much  to  tell,  and  so 
much  to  hear,’  ” assented  Eothsay,  as  they  sat  down  at 
the  foot  of  the  young  pine  tree,  with  their  backs  to  the 
rising  cliffs  and  their  faces  to  the  descending  moun- 
tain, the  brook  at  its  foot,  and  the  vast,  sunlit  prairie, 
in  its  autumn  coat  of  dry  grass,  rolling  in  smooth  hills 
and  hollows  of  gold  and  bronze  off  to  the  distant  hori- 
zon. 

^^Tell  me,  dear,  of  all  that  has  befallen  you  in  these 
dark  years  that  have  parted  us.  Tell  me  of  your  grand- 
parents. Do  they  still  live  ?”  inquired  Eothsay. 

^^Ah,  no !”  replied  Corona.  And  then  she  entered 
upon  the  family  history  of  the  last  four  years  and  four 


298 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


months,  since  Rule  had  disappeared,  and  told  him  of 
the  sudden  death  of  her  dear  old  grandmother  on  the 
very  day  on  which  the  false  report  of  Eothsay’s  murder 
reached  them. 

She  told  him  of  her  Uncle  Eabian’s  marriage  to  Vio- 
let Wood  a year  later. 

Of  her  widowed  grandfather’s  second  marriage  to 
Mrs.  Stillwater,  whom  Eothsay  had  known  in  his  child- 
hood as  Miss  Rose  Flowers. 

Of  the  recent  death  of  this  second  wife,  followed  very 
soon  after  by  that  of  the  aged  widower. 

And  finally  she  told  him  of  her  own  resolution  to  fol- 
low her  brother  Sylvan  to  his  post  of  duty  at  Fort  Far- 
thermost, to  open  a mission  home  school  for  Indian 
children,  and  to  devote  her  life  and  fortune  to  their  serv- 
ice; and  of  the  good  opportunity  offered  her  by  the 
kindness  of  Colonel  Z.  in  procuring  for  her  the  escort 
of  Captain  and  Mrs.  Neville,  who  were  on  their  way  to 
Farthermost  with  a party  of  recruits. 

“And  Clarence  ? How  came  he  to  be  of  the  company  ?” 
inquired  Rothsay. 

“Uncle  Clarence  could  not  agree  with  Uncle  Fabian 
in  business  policy.  So  they  dissolved  partnership  very 
amicably  and  with  mutual  satisfaction.  This  was  after 
I had  left  Rockhold.  Clarence  gathered  up  his  wealth, 
brought  three  devoted  servants  with  him,  and  set  out  to 
follow  me.  At  St.  Louis  he  purchased  wagons,  tents, 
horses,  mules,  and  every  convenience  for  crossing  the 
plains.  He  overtook  and  surprised  us  at  Fort  Leaven- 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  299 

worth  on  the  very  day  of  onr  intended  departure  for 
Farthermost.’’ 

^Ularence  came  for  your  sake.” 

^^Yes;  and  he  has  enjoyed  the  journey.  On  the  free 
prairie  he  has  been  like  a boy  out  of  school — so  buoy- 
ant, so  joyous — the  life  of  the  whole  company.” 

^^What  will  he  do  now  ?” 

think  he  will  go  on  to  Farthermost  for  this  season. 
After  this  I do  not  know  what  he  will  do  or  where  he 
will  go.” 

^^He  will  remain  in  this  quarter,  which  offers  a grand 
field  for  a man  like  Clarence  Eockharrt,”  said  Eothsay. 

should  think  it  might — in  the  future,”  replied 
Corona. 

^Tn  the  near  future.  The  tide  of  emigration  is  pour- 
ing into  this  section  so  fast  that  very  soon  the  ground 
will  be  disputed  with  the  Mexican  government,  and  true 
men  and  brave  men  will  be  much  wanted  here.” 

^^Yes,”  said  Corona,  indifferently,  for  she  cared  very 
little  at  this  moment  for  public  interests.  ^^But  tell 
me  of  yourself,  Eule.  I long  to  hear  you  talk  of  your- 
self.” 

Eothsay  was  no  egotist.  He  never  had  been  addicted 
to  speaking  of  himself  or  his  feelings. 

Now,  at  her  urgent  request,  he  told  her  in  brief  how 
he  had  renounced  all  his  honors  in  the  country  for  the 
sake  of  the  woman  for  whose  sake,  also,  he  had  first 
striven  to  win  them  and  had  won  them. 

^^Dear,”  he  said,  ^Trom  the  time  you  first  noticed  me, 


300 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


■when  you  "were  a sweet  child  of  seven  summers  and  I a 
hoy  of  twelve — yes,  winters — for  while  all  your  years 
had  been  summers,  dear — summers  of  love,  shelter,  com- 
fort, luxury — all  my  years  had  been  winters  of  loss, 
want,  orphanage,  and  destitution — ^you  were  my  help, 
support,  inspiration.  I longed  to  be  worthy  of  your 
friendship,  your  interest,  your  sympathy.  And  for  all 
these  things  I toiled,  endured,  and  struggled.’’ 

“I  know!  Oh,  I know!”  said  Corona,  earnestly. 

“Yes,  dear,  you  know  it  all.  Eor  who  but  you  were 
with  me  in  the  spirit  through  all  the  struggle,  helping, 
supporting,  encouraging,  until  you  seemed  to  me  my 
muse,  my  soul,  my  inner  and  purer  and  higher  self. 
Dear,  I wronged  you  when  I connected  your  love  with 
this  world’s  pride.  I wronged  you  bitterly,  and  I have 
suffered  for  it  and  made  you  suffer ” 

“Oh,  no,  no,  no.  Rule ! The  fault  was  all  my  o-wn  ! 
I am  not  so  good  and  wise  as  you !”  exclaimed  Corona. 

“Hush,  dear ! Hush ! Hear  me  out !”  said  Rothsay, 
laying  his  hand  gently  on  her  head. 

“Well,  go  on,  but  don’t  blame  yourself.  Oh,  ‘chevalier 
sans  peur  et  sans  reproche/  ” said  Corona,  fervently. 

He  resumed  very  quietly: 

“When  I had  reached  a position  in  this  world’s  honor 
to  which  I dared  to  invite  you,  then  I laid  my  victory  at 
your  feet  and  prayed  you  to  share  it.  And,  Corona, 
when  the  bishop  had  blessed  our  nuptials,  I dreamed 
that  we  were  blessed  indeed.  You  know,  dear,  what  a 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


301 


miserable  awakening  I bad  from  that  dream  on  tbe  eve- 
ning of  our  wedding  day/^ 

^Tt  was  my  fault ! It  was  my  fault ! Ob,  vain,  fool- 
ish, infatuated  woman  that  I wasT^  cried  Corona. 

^^No,  dear;  you  were  not  to  blame.  You  were  true, 
candid,  natural  through  it  all.  Our  betrothal,  dear,  was 
on  your  part  the  betrothal  of  friends.  You  did  not 
know  your  own  heart  then.  You  went  abroad  with 
your  grandparents,  and,  after  two  years  of  travel,  you 
were  thrown  in  the  court  circles  of  London,  and  ex- 
posed to  all  the  splendors,  temptations  and  fascinations 
of  rank,  culture  and  refinement,  such  as  you  had  never 
met  at  home  in  your  rural  neighborhood.  You  were 
caught,  dazzled,  bewildered.  You  thought  you  loved 

the  English  duke  who  sought  your  hand ’’ 

^^But  I never  did.  Rule.  Oh,  Heaven  knows  I never 
did.  It  was  all  self-delusion,’^  broke  in  Corona. 

^^No;  you  never  did.  I saw  that  in  the  first  instant 
that  I met  your  eyes  in  the  log  cabin  up  yonder.  You 
never  did ! It  was  a self-delusion.  Yet  you  were  under 
the  influence  of  that  self-delusion  when  I found  you  on 
our  wedding  evening  in  such  a paroxysm  of  grief  and 
despair  that  I — astonished  and  amazed  at  what  I saw — 
shared  your  delusion  and  imagined  that  you  loved  this 
duke  when  you  married  me.  What  could  I do,  my  own 
dear  Cora,  for  whom  I would  have  lived  or  died  at  bid- 
ding— what  could  I do  but  efface  myself  from  your 
life  r 

^^Oh ! you  could  have  given  me  time — ^time  to  recover 


S02 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

from  my  mental  illness,  since  I had  done  no  evil  will- 
Since  I had  kept  my  troth  as  well  as  I could. 
Since  I had  vowed  to  love  and  serve  you  all  the  days  of 
my  life.  You  should  have  given  me  time.  Rule,  to  re- 
cover my  senses  and  keep  my  vow.” 

“Yes;  I should  have  done  so!  But,  you  see,  I did 
not  know.  How  could  I know  ? Oh,  my  dear  Cora ! It 
cost  me  little  to  lay  down  all  the  honors  I had  won,  for 
they  were  worthless  to  me  if  not  shared  by  you,  for 
whom  they  were  won.  But  it  cost  my  life  almost  to  re- 
sign you.  Mine  was  ‘not  the  flight  of  a felon’  or  a 
coward,  but  the  retirement  of  one  sick,  sick  unto  death 
of  the  world  and  of  all  the  glory  of  the  world.  Some 
men  in  my  case  might  have  sought  relief  in  death,  but 
I — I knew  I must  live  until  the  Lord  of  life  should  him- 
self relieve  me  of  duty.  So  I left  the  city  on  the  night 
of  my  wedding  day,  the  night  also  before  my  inaugura- 
tion day.” 

“Oh,  Rule ! and  as  if  it  required  that  supreme  act  of 
renunciation  to  tear  the  veil  from  my  eyes  and  let  me 
see  you  as  you  were,  and  see  my  own  heart  as  it  was — 
from  that  hour  I knew  how  much,  how  deeply,  how 
eternally  I loved  you !”  said  Corona. 

Rothsay  raised  her  hand  to  his  lips  and  kissed  it. 
Then  he  resumed: 

“I  wrote  two  letters — one  to  you,  explaining  my  mo- 
tives for  leaving,  and  advising  you  not  to  repeat  to  any 
one  the  subject  or  substance  of  our  last  interview,  lest 
it  should  be  misunderstood  or  misrepresented,  and 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE  SOS 

should  do  you  unmerited  injury  with  an  evil-thinking 
world ’’ 

^^Yes,  Rule.  See ! See ! I have  that  letter  yet  ex- 
claimed Corona,  hastily  unbuttoning  the  front  of  her 
bodice  and  pulling  up  the  little  black  silk  bag  which 
she  wore  next  her  heart,  suspended  from  the  silken 
cord  around  her  neck,  and  taking  from  it  the  old,  yellow^ 
broken  paper  which  contained  the  last  lines  he  had 
written  to  her. 

^^You  kept  that  all  this  time,  dear?’^  he  inquired, 
gently  taking  the  paper  and  looking  at  it. 

^^Yes.  Why  not  ? It  was  the  last  relic  I possessed  of 
you.  And  it  has  never  left  me.  I never  showed  it  to  a 
human  being,  because  you  did  not  wish  me  to  do  so. 
But  you  said  you  had  written  two  letters.  To  whom 
was  the  other  ? We  never  heard  of  it.^’ 

Eothsay  looked  at  her  in  surprise  for  a moment  and 
answered : 

^^The  other  letter  ? Why,  of  course,  it  was  my  letter 
of  resignation.’’ 

^^Then  it  was  never  found ! Never ! If  it  had  b^en, 
it  would  have  saved  much  trouble.  No  one  knew  what 
had  become  of  you.  Rule.  Not  even  I,  except  that  you 
had  left  me  on  account  of  that  last  conversation  between 
us,  which  you  adjured  me  never  to  divulge.  And  oh !' 
what  amazement  your  disappearance  caused ; and  what 
conjectures  as  to  your  fate!  Many  thought  that  you 
had  been  assassinated  and  your  body  sunk  in  the  river. 
Oh,  Rule!  Many  others  thought  that  you  had  been 


304! 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


abducted  by  some  political  enemy — as  if  any  force  could 
have  carried  you  off,  Rule!” 

Eothsay  laughed  for  the  first  time  during  the  inter- 
view. Corona  continued: 

‘‘Advertisements  were  placed  in  all  the  papers,  offer- 

% 

ing  large  rewards  for  information  that  should  lead  to  the 
discovery  of  your  fate  or  whereabouts,  living  or  dead. 
And,  oh!  how  many  impostors  came  forward  to  claim 
the  money  with  information  that  led  to  nothing  at  all. 
A sailor  returning  from  Eio  de  Janeiro  swore  that  you 
had  shipped  as  a man  before  the  mast  and  gone  out  with 
him,  and  that  he  had  left  you  in  the  capital  of  Brazil. 
A fur  trader  from  Alaska  reported  you  killing  seals  in 
that  territory.  A returned  miner  swore  that  he  had  left 
you  gold  digging  in  California.  A New  Bedford  sailor 
made  his  affidavit  that  he  had  seen  you  embark  on  a 
whaling  ship  for  Baffin^s  Bay.  These  were  the  most 
hopeful  reports.  But  there  were  others.  There  was 
never  the  body  of  an  unknown  man  found  anywhere 
that  was  not  reported  to  be  yours.  Oh,  Buie ! think  of 
the  anguish  all  these  rumors  cost  your  friends  1’^ 

^^Cost  you,  my  poor  Corona.  I doubt  if  they  cost  any 
other  human  being  a single  pang.’^ 

^^But  all  these  rumors  proved  to  be  false,  and  your 
fate  remained  a mystery  until  it  was  apparently  cleared 
up  by  the  report  of  your  murder  by  the  Comanches  in 
the  massacre  of  La  Terrepeur.^^ 

^^A  report  as  false  as  any  of  the  others,  as  you  see,  yet 
with  a better  foundation  in  probability  than  any  of  those. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


305 


as  I have  explained.  But  how  my  letter  of  resignation 
should  have  been  lost  I cannot  conjecture.  I posted  it 
with  my  own  hand,”  said  Eothsay,  reflectively. 

Why,  letters  are  occasionally  lost  in  the  mail ! But,, 
Rule,  how  was  it  that  you  neved  heard  of  all  the  amaze- 
ment and  confusion  that  followed  your  flight,  for  the 
want  of  your  letter  to  explain  it  ?” 

^^Because,  dear,  from  the  time  I left  the  State  capital 
to  this  day  I have  never  seen  a newspaper  or  spoken  to 
a civilized  being.” 

^Me!” 

^Tt  is  true,  dear!  Look  at  me.  Have  I not  degen- 
erated into  a savage?” 

^^No,  no,  no,  Eegulas  Eothsay!  you  could  never  do 
that!  Ah!  how  much  nobler  you  look  to  me  in  that 
rude  forest  garb  than  even  in  the  fine  dress  of  the  draw- 
ing room!  But  tell  me  about  your  journey  from  the 
city  into  the  wilderness,  and  of  your  life  since.” 

have  been  trying  to  do  so,  Cora,  but  every  time  I 
try  to  begin  my  narrative  by  reverting  to  the  hour  of 
my  flight,  I seem  spellbound  to  that  hour  and  cannot  es- 
cape from  it.  But  I will  try  again,”  he  said,  and  he  be- 
gan his  story. 

He  told  her,  in  brief,  that  on  leaving  the  Eockhold 
house  and  going  out  upon  the  sidewalk,  he  found  the 
streets  still  alight  with  illuminated  houses  and  alive 
with  the  orgies  of  revelers  who  had  come  to  the  in- 
auguration. 

In  moving  through  the  crowd  he  was  unrecognized,,. 


306 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


for  who  could  suspect  the  black-coated  figure  passing 
ulone  along  the  street  at  midnight  to  be  the  governor- 
<elect  of  the  State,  in  whose  honor  the  assembled  multi- 
tudes were  getting  drunk? 

His  first  intention  had  been  to  take  a hack,  drive  to 
the  railway  depot,  and  board  the  first  train  going  West. 
But  the  hacks  were  all  engaged  as  sleeping  berths  by 
men  who  could  not  get  accommodations  in  any  of  the 
houses  of  the  overcrowded  city. 

So  he  set  off  to  walk,  and  almost  immediately  came 
face  to  face  with  old  Scythia,  the  friend  of  his  child- 
hood. 

^Uld  Scythia  exclaimed  Corona,  interrupting  the 
narrative. 

^^Yes,  dear;  the  old  seeress  of  Raven  Roost,  as  they 
used  to  call  her.  Of  course,  I never,  even  as  a boy,  be- 
lieved in  the  supernatural  powers  of  divination  ascribed 
to  her,  but  I must  credit  her  with  wonderful  intuitions. 
She  had  divined  the  very  crisis  that  had  come,  and  in 
that  hour  of  my  agony  and  humiliation  she  exercised  a 
strange  power  over  me,’^  said  Rothsay ; and  then  he  took 
up  the  thread  of  his  narrative  again. 

He  told  her  that  on  leaving  the  State  capital  he  had 
taken  neither  railway  carriage  nor  river  steamboat,  but 
had  tramped,  with  old  Scythia  by  his  side,  all  the  way 
from  the  Cumberland  Mountains  to  the  Southwestern 
frontier. 

The  journey  had  taken  them  all  the  summer,  for  they 
traveled  very  slowly — sometimes  walking  no  more  than 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


SOT 


ten  miles  a day,  sometimes  sleeping  on  pallets  made  of 
leaves  under  the  trees  of  the  forest,  sometimes  reaching 
a pioneer’s  log  hnt,  where  they  could  get  a hot  supper 
and  a night’s  lodging.  Sometimes  stopping  over  Sun- 
day in  some  settlement  where  there  was  no  church,  and 
where  Rule,  though  not  an  ordained  minister,  would  on 
Christian  principles  hold  a service  and  preach  a sermon. 

So  they  journeyed  over  the  mountains,  and  through 
the  valleys  and  forests,  until  at  length,  in  the  end  of 
October,  they  arrived  at  the  poorest,  loneliest,  and  most 
forlorn  of  all  the  pioneer  settlements  they  had  seen. 

This  was  La  Terrepeur,  on  the  borders  of  the  Indian 
Reserve.  It  was  a settlement  of  about  twenty  log  huts,, 
in  a small  valley  shut  in  by  densely  wooded  hills,  and 
watered  by  a narrow  brook.  It  was  too  near  the  coun- 
try of  the  Comanches  for  safety,  and  too  far  from  the 
nearest  fort  for  protection.  There  was  neither  church 
nor  schoolhouse  within  a hundred  miles. 

The  travelers  were  hospitably  received  by  the  pio- 
neers, and  here,  as  the  autumn  was  far  advanced,  and 
travel  difficult,  they  determined  to  halt  for  the  winter 
at  least,  and  in  the  spring  to  go  farther  south  in  search 
of  Scythia’s  tribe,  the  Nez  Percees,  who  had  been 
moved  away  from  their  former  hunting  grounds. 

They  were  feasted  and  lodged  by  the  butters  that 
night.  The  next  morning  the  men  turned  out  in  a body,, 
felled  trees  and  cleared  a spot  on  the  slope  of  a wooded 
hill,  sawed  logs  and  built  two  huts,  one  for  Rothsay,  and 
one  for  old  Scythia.  They  were  finished  before  night. 


808 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


And  then  the  settlers  had  a house-warming,  which  was  a 
breakdown  dance  to  the  music  of  the  one  fiddle  in  the 
settlement,  and  a supper  of  such  eatables  and  drinkables 
as  the  place  could  afford. 

But  there  was  no  furniture  in  these  two  primitive 
dwellings.  So  once  more  these  wayfarers  had  each  to 
sleep  on  a bed  of  leaves. 

On  the  second  day  the  man  who  owned  the  only  mule 
and  cart,  and  was  the  only  expressman  and  carrier  to 
the  settlement,  offered  to  go  to  the  nearest  post  trader’s 
station — a distance  of  fifty  miles — and  purchase  any- 
thing that  the  strangers  might  need,  if  said  strangers 
had  the  money  to  buy. 

Rothsay  had  money  in  notes,  hardly  thought  of,  and 
never  looked  at,  except  when,  on  their  long  journey,  he 
had  to  take  out  his  pocket-book  to  pay  for  accommoda- 
tions at  some  log  cabin,  or  to  purchase  a change  of  un- 
der clothing  at  some  post  trader’s. 

Also  old  Scythia  had  a pouch  of  silver  and  gold  coin, 
saved  from  the  money  that  had  been  regularly  sent  to 
her  by  Rule  from  the  time  when  he  first  began  to  earn 
wages  to  the  time  when  they  set  out  for  the  wilderness 
in  company. 

Of  this  money  they  gave  the  frontier  expressman  all 
that  he  required  to  purchase  the  plainest  furniture  for 
the  log  cabins — ^bedding,  cooking  utensils,  crockery 
ware,  and  some  groceries. 

^^Yer  can’t  buy  bed  or  mattresses  at  the  post  trader’s; 
but  yer  can  buy  ticking,  and  we  can  sew  it  up  for  yer, 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


309 


and  the  men  will  stuff  it  with  straw.  There’s  plenty  of 
straw/’  said  one  of  the  kindly  women,  speaking  for  all 
her  neighbors. 

And  the  expressman  set  out  with  his  list. 

In  three  days  he  was  back  again  with  a satisfactory 
supply.  The  women  made  the  straw  beds  and  pillows 
and  hemmed  the  sheets.  The  men  filled  the  ticks  and 
^^knocked  together”  a pine  table  and  a few  rude,  three- 
legged  stools.  And  so  Eothsay  and  old  Scythia  were 
settled  for  the  winter. 

Eothsay  took  upon  himself  the  office  of  teacher  and 
preacher.  Among  the  articles  brought  from  the  post 
trader’s  were  a few  Bibles,  hymn  books,  and  elementary 
school  books,  slates  and  pencils. 

He  began  his  labors  by  holding  a religious  service  in 
his  own  cabin  on  the  first  Sabbath  of  his  sojourn  at  La 
Terrepeur,  which — perhaps  for  its  rarity — was  attended 
by  the  whole  of  the  little  community.  And  on  the  next 
day  he  opened  his  little  school  in  his  hut,  where  he 
taught  the  children  all  day,  and  where  he  slept  at  night. 
Old  Scythia’s  cabin  was  kitchen  and  dining  room. 

All  that  autumn,  winter  and  spring,  Eule  labored 
among  the  pioneers  of  La  Terrepeur.  It  was  not  true, 
as  had  been  reported,  that  he  was  a missionary  and 
schoolmaster  to  the  Indians ; for  no  one  of  the  savages 
who  occasionally  came  into  the  settlement  could  be  in- 
duced to  approach  the  ^^school”. 

It  was  in  June  that  old  Scythia  became  restless  and 
anxious  to  find  her  tribe — the  wandering  Nez  Percees. 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


SIO 

Eothsay  gave  his  school  a vacation  and  set  out  with 
Scythia  to  find  the  valley  where  they  were  reported  to 
be  in  camp. 

“This  valley  below,  Cora,  dear,”  said  Rothsay,  inter- 
rupting the  course  of  the  narrative.  “But  when  we 
reached  it,  the  Nez  Percees  had  disappeared.  A lonely 
old  hunter,  who  had  built  this  hut,  was  the  only  human 
being  in  the  place,  and  he  was  slowly  dying,  and  he 
would  have  died  alone  but  for  the  opportune  arrival  of 
old  Scythia  and  myself.  He  told  us  that  the  Nez  Per- 
cees had  crossed  the  river  about  two  weeks  before,  and 
were  far  on  their  migration  west.” 

“Old  Scythia  sat  down  flat  on  the  floor,  drew  up  her 
knees,  folded  her  hands  upon  them,  dropped  her  head, 
and  died  as  quietly  as  a tired  child  falls  to  sleep.” 

“Oh !”  exclaimed  Corona,  “how  sad  it  was.” 

“Yes,  it  was  sad;  age,  fatigue  and  disappointment 
did  their  work.  I buried  her  body  under  that  pine  tree 
where  your  Uncle  Clarence  sat  down.  The  old  hunter’s 
struggle  with  dissolution  was  longer.  He  lingered  five 
davs.  I waited  on  him  until  death  relieved  him,  and  then 
laid  his  body  to  rest  beside  old  Scythia’s.  I was  then 
preparing  to  return  to  La  Terrepeur,  when  a wandering 
scout  brought  me  the  news  of  the  massacre  of  the  in- 
habitants and  the  destruction  of  the  settlement.  Since 
that  time,  dear  Corona,  I have  lived  alone  on  this  moun- 
tain. That  is  all.  Come,  shall  we  go  down  and  see 
your  uncle 


311 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

‘^Yes,”  said  Corona. 

And  they  arose  and  walked  down  into  the  valley. 

They  soon  found  the  wagon  camp  of  Clarence  Eock- 
harrt  and  his  followers. 

The  horses  and  mules,  which  had  been  unharnessed, 
watered  and  fed,  were  now  tethered  to  the  scattered 
tree  trunks  and  were  nosing  about  under  the  dried  leaves 
in  search  of  the  tender  herbage  that  was  still  springing 
in  that  genial  soil  beneath  the  shelter  of  the  fallen  foli- 
age. The  wagons  had  been  drawn  up  under  cover  of 
the  thicket  and  prepared  as  sleeping  berths. 

On  the  grass  was  spread  a large  white  damask  table 
cloth,  and  on  that  was  arranged  a neat  tea  service  for 
three. 

Martha  was  busy  at  a gypsy  fire  boiling  coffee  and 
broiling  venison  steaks. 

“You  are  just  in  time.  Rule.  How  do  you  do  ex- 
claimed Mr.  Clarence,  emerging  from  among  the  horses, 
and  coming  forward  to  shake  hands  vsdth  Eothsay  as  if 
they  had  been  in  the  daily  habit  of  meeting  for  the  last 
four  years. 

The  two  men  clasped  hands  cordially. 

“I  always  had  a secret  conviction  that  you  were  liv- 
ing, Rule,  and  always  secretly  hoped  to  meet  you  again 
'somehow,  somewhere’;  and  now  my  prescience  is  jus- 
tified in  our  meeting  to-day.” 

“Clarence,”  gravely  replied  Eothsay,  “you  ask  me 
no  questions,  yet  now  I feel  that  you  are  entitled  to 


312 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 


some  explanation  of  my  strange  flight  and  long  se- 
questration. And  I will  give  it  to  you  to-morrow.” 

“My  dear  Eothsay,  I have  divined  much  of  the  mys- 
tery, but  you  may  tell  me  what  you  like,  when  you  like. 
And  now  supper  is  ready,”  said  Clarence,  heartily,  as 
the  four  servants  came  up,  each  with  a dish  to  set  on  the 
cloth  quite  an  unnecessary  pageantry  where  one  would 
have  been  enough,  but  that  they  all  wanted  to  see  the 
long-lost  man.  And  with  the  warmth  and  freedom  of 
their  race  they  quickly  set  down  their  dishes  and  gath- 
ered around  the  stranger  to  give  him  a warm  welcome, 
expressing  loudly  their  surprise  and  delight  in  seeing 
him. 

“Dough  ’deed  I doane  wonner  at  nuflSn  wot  turns  up 
in  dis  yere  new  country !”  old  Martha  declared. 

Then  followed  a gay  and  happy  al  fresco  slipper. 

By  the  time  it  was  over  the  sun  had  set,  and  the  au- 
tumn evening  air,  even  in  that  southern  clime,  was  grow- 
ing very  chilly. 

So  the  three  friends  arose  from  the  table. 

Rothsay  and  Corona  turned  to  go  up  the  hill.  Clar- 
ence escorted  them,  carrying  Corona’s  bag. 

They  parted  at  the  door  of  the  log  cabin. 

“I  shall  have  our  tent  pitched  at  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tain early  to-morrow  morning,  and  breakfast  prepared. 
You  will  come  down  and  join  me,”  said  Mr.  Clarence 
as  he  bade  the  reunited  pair  good-night. 

The  wagon  camp  did  not  break  up  the  next  day,  nor 
the  day  after  that. 


313 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

On  the  third  day  who  should  arrive  but  Lieut. 
Haught  absent  on  leave,  and  come  to  look  up  his  rela- 
tions. His  meeting  with  them  was  a jubilee.  His  sister 
wept  for  joy;  his  brotherdn-law  and  his  uncle  would 
have  embraced  him  if  they  had  expressed  their  emotions 
as  continental  Europeans  do ; even  the  negroes  almost 
hugged  and  kissed  him. 

On  Lieut.  Haught’s  representations  and  at  his  per- 
suasions the  little  camp  broke  up,  and  with  Eothsay 
and  Cora  in  company,  marched  off  to  Fort  Farthermost, 
where  they  were  cordially  received  by  the  commandant 
and  the  officers,  and  where  the  reunited  pair  commenced 
life  anew. 

My  story  opened  with  the  marriage  and  mysterious 
separation  of  the  newly  married  pair.  It  should  close 
with  their  reunion. 

The  later  life  of  my  young  hero  belongs  to  history. 
It  would  require  a pen  more  powerful  than  mine  to  pur- 
sue his  career,  which  was  as  grand,  heroic  and  romantic 
as  that  of  any  knight,  prince,  or  paladin  in  the  days  of 
old. 

His  pure  name  and  fame  became  identified  with  the 
rise  and  progress  of  a great  State  in  that  Southwestern 
wilderness.  Soldier,  statesman,  patriot,  benefactor,  all 
in  one,  his  memory  will  be  honored  as  long  as  his  coun- 
try shall  last.  And  yet,  perhaps,  the  crowning  glory  of 
his  character  was  his  power  of  self-renunciation — proved 
in  every  act  of  his  public  life,  but  shown  first,  perhaps, 


814 


AN  UNREQUITED  LOVE 

■when,  to  leave  the  life  of  one  beloved  woman  free,  he 
renounced  not  only  the  hand  of  his  adored  bride,  but 

“The  kingdoms  of  the  world  and  the  glory.” 


THE  END 


BURT'S  SBRIES  of  STANDARD  FICTION, 


RICHELIEU.  A tale  of  France  in  the  reign  of  King  Louis  XIII.  By  G.  P- 
R.  James.  Cloth,  i2mo.  with  four  illustrations  by  J.  Watson  Davis.  Price,  fi.oo. 

In  1S29  Mr.  James  published  his  first  romance,  “Richelieu,*'  and  was 
recognized  at  once  as  one  of  the  masters  of  the  craft. 

In  this  book  he  laid  the  story  during  those  later  days  of  the  great  car- 
dinal’s life,  when  his  power  was  beginning  to  wane,  but  while  it  was 
yet  sufficiently  strong  to  permit  now  and  then  of  volcanic  outbursts  which 
overwhelmed  foes  and  carried  friends  to  the  topmost  wave  of  prosperity. 
One  of  the  most  striking  portions  of  the  story  is  that  of  Cinq  Mar’s  conspir- 
acy; the  method  of  conducting  criminal  cases,  and  the  political  trickery 
resorted  to  by  royal  favorites,  affording  a better  insight  into  the  state- 
craft of  that  day  than  can  be  had  even  by  an  exhaustive  study  of  history. 
It  is  a powerful  romance  of  love  and  diplomacy,  and  in  point  of  thrilling 
and  absorbing  interest  has  never  been  excelled. 

A COLONIAL  FREE-LANCE.  A story  of  American  Colonial  Times.  By 
Chauncey  C.  Hotchkiss,  Cloth,  i2mo.  with  four  illustrations  by  J.  Watson 
Davis.  Price,  $i.oo. 

A book  that  appeals  to  Americans  as  a vivid  picture  of  Revolutionary 
scenes.  The  story  is  a strong  one,  a thrilling  one.  It  causes  the  true 
American  to  flush  with  excitement,  to  devour  chapter  after  chapter,  until 
the  eyes  smart,  and  it  fairly  smokes  with  patriotism.  The  love  story  is  a 
singularly  charming  idyl. 

THE  TOWER  OF  LONDON.  A Historical  Romance  of  the  Times  of  Lady 
Jane  Grey  and  Mary  Tudor.  By  Wm.  Harrison  Ainsworth.  Cloth,  12m®.  with 
four  illustrations  by  George  Cruikshank.  Price,  $1.00. 

This  romance  of  the  “Tower  of  London”  depicts  the  Tower  as  palace, 
prison  and  fortress,  with  many  historical  associations.  The  era  is  the 
middle  of  the  sixteenth  century. 

The  story  is  divided  into  two  parts,  one  dealing  with  Lady  Jane  Grey, 
and  the  other  with  Mary  Tudor  as  Queen,  introducing  other  notable  char- 
acters of  the  era.  Throughout  the  story  holds  the  interest  of  the  reader 
in  the  midst  of  intrigue  and  conspiracy,  extending  considerably  over  a 
half  a century. 

IN  DEFIANCE  OF  THE  KING.  A Romance  of  the  American  Revolution. 
By  Chauncey  C.  Hotchkiss.  Cloth,  i2mo.  with  four  illustrations  by  J.  Watson 
Davis.  Price,  $1.00. 

Mr.  Hotchkiss  has  etched  in  burning  words  a story  of  Yankee  bravery, 
and  true  love  that  thrills  from  beginning  to  end,  with  the  spirit  of  the 
Revolution.  The  heart  beats  quickly,  and  we  feel  ourselves  taking  a 
part  in  the  exciting  scenes  described.  His  whole  story  is  so  absorbing 
that  you  will  sit  up  far  into  the  night  to  finish  it.  As  a love  romance 
it  is  charming. 

GARTHOWEN.  A story  of  a Welsh  Homestead.  By  Allen  Raine.  Cloth, 
i2mo.  with  four  illustrations  by  J.  Watson  Davis.  Price,  $1.00. 

“This  is  a little  idyl  of  humble  life  and  enduring  love,  laid  bare  before 
us,  very  real  and  pure,  which  in  its  telling  shows  us  some  strong  points  of 
Welsh  character — the  pride,  the  hasty  temper,  the  quick  dying  out  of  wrath. 
. . . We  call  this  a well-written  story,  interesting  alike  through  its 

romance  and  its  glimpses  into  another  life  than  ours.  A delightful  and 
clever  picture  of  Welsh  village  life.  The  result  is  excellent.”— Detroit  Free 
Press. 

MiFANWY.  The  story  of  a Welsh  Singer.  By  Allan  Raine.  Cloth, 
X2mo.  with  four  illustrations  by  J.  Watson  Davis.  Price,  $1.00. 

“This  is  a love  story,  simple,  tender  and  pretty  as  one  would  care  to 
read.  The  action  throughout  is  brisk  and  pleasing;  the  characters,  it  is  ap- 
parent at  once,  are  as  true  to  life  as  though  the  author  had  known  them 
all  personally.  Simple  in  all  its  situations,  the  story  is  worked  up  in  that 
touching  and  quaint  strain  which  never  grows  Wearisome,  no  matter  how 
often  the  lights  and  shadows  of  love  are  introduced.  It  rings  triie,  and 
does  not  tax  the  imagination.” — Boston  Herald. 


BUR.T»S  SERIES  of  STA.NOA.RZ>  FICTION, 


DARNLEY . A Romance  of  the  times  of  Henry  VIII.  and  Cardinal  Wolsey* 
By  G.  P.  R.  James.  Cloth,  i2mo.  with  four  illustrations  by  J.  Watson  Davis, 
Price,  ^i.oo. 

As  a historical  romance  ‘‘Darnley’'  is  a book  that  can  be  taken  up 
pleasurably  again  and  again,  for  there  is  about  it  that  subtle  charm  which 
those  who  are  strangers  to  the  works  of  G.  P.  R.  James  have  claimed  was 
only  to  be  imparted  by  Dumas. 

If  there  was  nothing  more  about  the  work  to  attract  especial  attention, 
the  account  of  the  meeting  of  the  kings  on  the  historic  “field  of  the  cloth  of 
gold”  would  entitle  the  story  to  the  most  favorable  consideration  of  every 
reader. 

There  is  really  but  little  pure  romance  in  this  story,  for  the  author  has 
taken  care  to  imagine  love  passages  only  between  those  whom  history  has 
credited  with  having  entertained  the'  tender  passion  one  for  another,  and 
he  succeeds  in  making  such  lovers  as  all  the  world  must  love. 

WINDSOR  CASTLE.  A Historical  Romance  of  the  Reign  of  Henry  VIII 
Catharine  of  Aragon  and  Anne  Boleyn.  By  Wm.  Harrison  Ainsworth.  Cloth, 
x2mo.  with  four  illustrations  by  George  Cruikshank.  Price,  $i.oo. 

“Windsor  Castle”  is  the  story  of  Henry  VIII.,  Catharine,  and  Anne 
Boleyn.  “Bluff  King  Hal,”  although  a well-loved  monarch,  was  none  too 
good  a one  in  many  ways.  Of  all  his  selfishness  and  unwarrantable  acts, 
none  was  more  discreditable  than  his  divorce  from  Catharine,  and  his  mar- 
riage to  the  beautiful  Anne  Boleyn.  The  King’s  love  was  as  brief  as  it 
was  vehement.  Jane  Seymour,  waiting  maid  on  the  Queen,  attracted  him, 
and  Anne  Boleyn  was  forced  to  the  block  to  make  room  for  her  successor. 
This  romance  is  one  of  extreme  interest  to  all  readers. 


HORSESHOE  ROBINSON.  A tale  of  the  Tory  Ascendency  in  South  Caro- 
lina in  1780.  By  John  P.  Kennedy.  Cloth,  i2mo.  with  four  illustrations  by  J. 
Watson  Davis.  Price,  |i.oo. 

Among  the  old  favorites  in  the  field  of  what  is  known  as  historical  fic- 
tion, there  are  none  which  appeal  to  a larger  number  of  Americans  than 
Horseshoe  Robinson,  and  this  because  it  is  the  only  story  which  depicts 
with  fidelity  to  the  facts  the  heroic  efforts  of  the  colonists  in  South  Caro- 
lina to  defend  their  homes  against  the  brutal  oppression  of  the  British 
under  such  leaders  as  Cornwallis  and  Tarleton. 

The  reader  is  charmed  with  the  story  of  love  which  forms  the  thread 
of  the  tale,  and  then  impressed  with  the  wealth  of  detail  concerning  those 
times.  The  picture  of  the  manifold  sufferings  of  the  people,  is  never  over- 
drawn, but  painted  faithfully  and  honestly  by  one  who  spared  neither 
time  nor  labor  in  his  efforts  to  present  in  this  charming  love  story  all  that 
price  in  blood  and  tears  which  the  Carolinians  paid  as  their  share  in  the 
winning  of  the  republic. 

Take  it  all  in  all,  “Horseshoe  Robinson”  is  a work  which  should  be 
found  on  every  book-shelf,  not  only  because  it  is  a most  entertaining 
story,  but  because  of  the  wealth  of  valuable  information  concerning  the 
colonists  which  it  contains.  That  it  has  been  brought  out  once  more,  well 
illustrated,  is  something  which  will  give  pleasure  to  thousands  who  have 
long  desired  an  opportunity  to  read  the  story  again,  and  to  the  many  who 
have  tried  vainly  in  these  latter  days  to  procure  a copy  that  they  might 
read  i,t  for  the  first  time. 


THE  PEARL  OP  ORR’S  ISLAND.  A story  of  the  Coast  of  Maine.  By 


Harriet  Beecher  Stowe.  Cloth,  i2mo.  Illustrated.  Price,  $1.00. 

Written  prior  to  1862,  the  “Pearl  of  Orr’s  Island”  is  ever  new;  a book 
filled  with  delicate  fancies,  such  as  seemingly  array  themselves  anew  each 
time  one  reads  them.  One  sees  the  “sea  like  an  unbroken  mirror  all 
around  the  pine-girt,  lonely  shores  of  Orr’s  Island,”  and  straightway 
comes  “the  heavy,  hollow  moan  of  the  surf  on  the  beach,  like  the  "wild 


angry  howl  of  some  savage  animal.” 

Who  can  read  of  the  beginning  of  that  sweet  life,  named  Mara,  which 
came  into  this  world  under  the  very  shadow  of  the  Death  angel’s  wings, 
without  having  an  intense  desire  to  know  how  the  premature  bud  blos- 
somed? Again  and  again  one  lingers  over  the  descriptions  of  the  char- 
acter of  that  baby  boy  Moses,  who  came  through  the  tempest,  amid  the 
■tngry  billows,  pillowed  on  his  dead  mother’s  breast 

There  is  no  more  faithful  portrayal  of  New  England  life  than  that 
(ililcb  Mrs.  Stowe  gives  in  “The  Pearl  of  Orr’s  Island.” 


BURT’S  SERIES  of  STANDARD  FICTION. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  THE  BORDER.  A Romance  of  the  Early  Settlers  in  the 
Ohio  Valley.  By  Zane  Grey.  Cloth.  x2mo.  with  four  illustrations  by  J.  Watson 
Davis.  Price, |i. 00. 

A book  rather  out  of  the  ordinary  Is  this  * ‘Spirit  of  the  Border.**  The 
main  thread  of  the  story  has  to  do  with  the  work  of  the  Moravian  mis- 
sionaries in  the  Ohio  Valley.  Incidentally  the  reader  is  given  details  of  the 
frontier  life  of  those  hardy  pioneers  who  broke  the  wilderness  for  the  plant- 
ing of  this  great  nation.  Chief  among  these,  as  a matter  of  course,  is 
Lewis  Wetzel,  one  of  the  most  peculiar,  and  at  the  same  time  the  most 
admirable  of  all  the  brave  men  who  spent  their  lives  battling  with  the 
savage  foe,  that  others  might  dwell  in  comparative  security. 

Details  of  the  establishment  and  destruction  of  the  Moravian  “Village 
of  Peace”  are  given  at  some  length,  and  with  minute  description.  The 
efforts  to  Christianize  the  Indians  are  described  as  they  never  have  been 
before,  and  the  author  has  depicted  the  characters  of  the  leaders  of  the 
several  Indian  tribes  with  great  care,  which  of  itself  will  be  of  interest  to 
the  student. 

By  no  means  least  among  the  charms  of  the  story  are  the  vivid  word- 
pictures  of  the  thrilling  adventures,  and  the  intense  paintings  of  the  beau- 
ties of  nature,  as  seen  in  the  almost  unbroken  forests. 

It  is  the  spirit  of  the  frontier  which  is  described,  and  one  can  by  it, 
perhaps,  the  better  understand  why  men,  and  women,  too,  willingly  braved 
every  privation  and  danger  that  the  westward  progress  of  the  star  of  em- 
pire might  be  the  more  certain  and  rapid.  A love  story,  simple  and  tender, 
runs  through  the  book. 

CAPTAIN  BRAND,  OP  THE  SCHOONER  CENTIPEDE.  By  Lieut. 
Henry  A.  Wise,  U.  S.  N.  (Harry  Gringo).  Cloth,  izmo.  with  four  illustra- 
tions by  J,  Watson  Davis.  Price,  |i.oo. 

The  re-publication  of  this  story  will  please  those  lovers  of  sea  yams 
who  delight  in  so  much  of  the  salty  flavor  of  the  ocean  as  can  come  through 
the  medium  of  a printed  page,  for  never  has  a story  of  the  sea  and  those 
“who  go  down  in  ships”  been  written  by  one  more  familiar  with  the  scenes 
depicted. 

The  one  book  of  this  gifted  author  which  is  best  remembered,  and  which 
will  be  read  with  pleasure  for  many  years  to  come,  is  “Captain  Brand,*’ 
who,  as  the  author  states  on  his  title  page,  was  a * ‘pirate  of  eminence  in 
the  West  Indies.”  As  a sea  story  pure  and  simple,  “Captain  Brand”  has 
never  been  excelled,  and  as  a story  of  piratical  life,  told  without  the  usual 
embellishments  of  blood  and  thunder,  it  has  no  equal. 

NICK  OP  THE  WOODS.  A story  of  the  Early  Settlers  of  Kentucky.  By 
Robert  Montgomery  Bird.  Cloth,  i2mo.  with  four  illustrations  by  J.  Watson 
Davis.  Price,  |i.oo. 

This  most  popular  novel  and  thrilling  story  of  early  frontier  life  In 
Kentucky  was  originally  published  in  the  year  1837.  The  novel,  long  out  of 
print,  had  in  its  day  a phenomenal  sale,  for  its  realistic  presentation  of 
Indian  and  frontier  life  in  the  early  days  of  settlement  in  the  South,  nar- 
rated in  the  tale  with  all  the  art  of  a praicticed  writer.  A very  charming 
love  romance  runs  through  the  story.  ’Phis  new  and  tasteful  edition  of 
“Nick  of  the  Woods”  will  be  certain  to  make  many  new  admirers  foi 
this  enchanting  story  from  Dr.  Bird’s  clever  and  versatile  pen. 


GUY  FAWKES.  A Romance  of  the  Gunpowder  Treason.  By  Wm.  Harri- 
son Ainsworth.  Cloth,  i2mo.  with  four  illustrations  by  George  Cruikshank. 
Price,  |i.oo. 

The  “Gunpowder  Plot**  was  a modest  attempt  to  blow  up  Parliament, 
the  King  and  his  Counsellors.  James  of  Scotland,  then  King  of  England, 
was  weak-minded  and  extravagant.  He  hit  upon  the  efficient  scheme  of 
extorting  money  from  the  people  by  imposing  taxes  on  the  Catholics.  In 
their  natural  resentment  to  this  extortion,  a handful  of  bold  spirits  con- 
cluded to  overthrow  the  government.  Finally  the  plotters  were  arrestedc 
and  the  King  put  to  torture  Guy  Fawkes  and  the  other  prisoners  with 
royal  vigor.  A very  intense  love  story  runs  through  the  entire  romance* 


BURST’S  SERIES  of  STANl>i\RD  FICTION^ 


TICONDEROGA  : A Story  of  Karlj'  Frontier  I^ife  in  the  Mohawk  Valley., 
By  G.  P.  R.  James.  Cloth,  i2mo,  with  four  page  illustrations  by  J.  Watsox,' 
Davis.  Price,  |i. 00. 

The  setting  of  the  story  is  decidedly  more  picturesque  than  any  ever 
evolved  by  Cooper;  The  frontier  of  New  York  State,  where  dwelt  an  English 
gentleman,  driven  from  his  native  home  by  grief  over  the  loss  of  his  wife, 
with  a son  and  daughter.  Thither,  brought  by  the  exigencies  of  war,  cornea 
an  English  officer,  who  is  readily  recognized  as  that  Lord  Howe  who  met  his 
death  at  Ticonderoga.  As  a most  natural  sequence,  even  amid  the  hostile 
demonstrations  of  both  French  and  Indians,  Lord  Howe  and  the  young  girl 
find  time  to  make  most  deliciously  sweet  love,  and  the  son  of  the  recluse  has 
already  lost  his  heart  to  the  daughter  of  a great  sachem,  a dusky  maiden 
whose  warrior-father  has  surrounded  her  with  all  the  comforts  of  a civilized 
life. 

The  character  of  Captain  Brooks,  who  voluntarily  decides  to  sacrifice  his 
own  life  in  order  to  save  the  son  of  the  Englishman,  is  not  among  the  least 
of  the  attractions  of  this  story,  which  holds  the  attention  of  the  reader  even 
to  the  last  page.  The  tribal  laws  and  folk  lore  of  the  different  tribes  of 
Indians  known  as  the  “Five  Nations,”  with  which  the  story  is  interspersed, 
shows  that  the  author  gave  no  small  amount  of  study  to  the  work  in  question, 
and  nowhere  else  is  it  shown  more  plainly  than  by  the  skilful  manner  in 
which  he  has  interwoven  with  his  plot  the  “blood”  law,  which  demands  a 
life  for  a life,  whether  it  be  that  of  the  murderer  or  one  of  his  race. 

A more  charming  story  of  mingled  love  and  adventure  has  never  been 
written  than  “Ticonderoga.” 


ROB  OF  THE  BOWL  : A Story  of  the  Early  Days  of  Maryland.  By  John 
P.  Kennedy.  Cloth,  i2mo.  with  four  page  illustrations  by  J.  Watson  Davis. 
Price,  $1.00. 

It  was  while  he  was  a member  of  Congress  from  Maryland  that  the 
noted  statesman  wrote  this  story  regarding  the  early  history  of  his  native 
State,  and  while  some  critics  are  inclined  to  consider  “Horse  Shoe  Robinson” 
as  the  best  of  his  works,  it  is  certain  that  “Rob  of  the  Bowl”  stands  at  the 
head  of  the  list  as  a literary  production  and  an  authentic  exposition  of  the 
manners  and  customs  during  Lord  Baltimore’s  rule.  The  greater  portion  of 
the  action  takes  place  in  St.  Mary’s — the  original  capital  of  the  State. 

As  a series  of  pictures  of  early  colonial  life  in  Maryland,  “Rob  of  the 
Bowl”  has  no  equal,  and  the  book,  having  been  written  by  one  who  had 
exceptional  facilities  for  gathering  material  concerning  the  individual  mem- 
bers of  the  settlements  in  and  about  St.  Mary’s,  is  a most  valuable  addition 
to  the  history  of  the  State. 

The  story  is  full  of  splendid  action,  with  a charming  love  story,  and  a 
plot  that  never  loosens  the  grip  of  its  interest  to  its  last  page. 


BY  BERWEN  BANKS.  By  Allen  Raine. 

It  is  a tender  and  beautiful  romance  of  the  idyllic.  A charming  picture 
of  life  in  a Welsh  seaside  village.  It  is  something  of  a prose-poem,  true, 
tender  and  graceful. 


IN  DEFIANCE  OF  THE  KING.  A romance  of  the  American  Revolution. 
By  Chauncey  C,  Hotchkiss.  Cloth,  i2mo.  with  four  illustrations  by  J.  Watson 
Davis.  Price,  $i.oo. 

The  story  opens  in  the  month  of  April,  1775,  with  the  provincial  troops 
hurrying  to  the  defense  of  Lexington  and  Concord.  Mr.  Hotchkiss  has  etched 
in  burning  words  a story  of  Yankee  bravery  and  true  love  that  thrills  from 
beginning  to  end  with  the  spirit  of  the  Revolution.  The  heart  beats  quickly, 
and  we  feel  ourselves  taking  a part  in  the  exciting  scenes  described.  You 
lay  the  book  aside  with  the  feeling  that  you  have  seen  a gloriously  true 
picture  of  the  Revolution.  His  whole  story  is  so  absorbing  that  you  will  s>t 
UP  far  into  the  night  to  finish  it.  As  a love  romance  it  is  charming. 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


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